


Love and Devotion

by GinnyK



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Pre-White House (West Wing)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-05-31 04:15:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15111620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyK/pseuds/GinnyK
Summary: The beginning of Jed and Abbey.





	Love and Devotion

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

"Jed, go to sleep," Abbey said sternly, pushing her husband back into bed. 

"No time for sleep," he replied. 

"You got shot last night, for Christ's sake!" Abbey exclaimed, smacking his hand as she pulled the covers back up around him. "And you're supposed to be resting." 

"I'll rest when I'm dead," Jed declared firmly, pulling her down onto the bed with him and kissing her deeply. 

"Naughty, naughty," Abbey murmured. "Not until I say the magic words, dear." She kissed him on the forehead and adjusted his hookups so they weren't in her way. "Why won't you go to sleep, pumpkin? Are you afraid to go to sleep?" When he looked hesitant about answering, she murmured, "Jed, it's only me. You can tell me." 

"I'm afraid it will all be gone," he replied. "I know it sounds stupid, but..." He held her tightly, ignoring the pain it put him in. "Sweetie, will you sing for me?" 

"Sing? Here in the hospital? Jed I haven't sung for you in a very long time" replied Abbey. Although she knew she would end up singing, if only to get her husband to sleep. "What did you have in mind, honey?" 

Jed thought for a moment. "How about What a Wonderful World this Would Be? I still remember when I first heard you sing it. We were so young... Your voice was so beautiful..." 

"Okay, but you have to promise me you will close your eyes." Jed nodded his head slightly and finally closed his eyes. Abbey reached over to turn out the light over his bed, stroked his hair and softly began to sing. 

**Don't know much about history,  
**Don't know much biology.  
**Don't know much about science books,  
**Don't know much about the French I took.  
**But I do know that I love you and I know that if you love me too  
**What a wonderful world this would be.

By the time she reached the second verse, her wounded yet stubborn husband was asleep. 

"Finally," Abbey adjusted the oxygen tubing and kissed her sleeping husband before turning to go out into the hall. She spotted her husband's best friend, Leo, slumped in a chair down the hall. Leo grinned at the sight of Abbey and got up to greet her with a hug. 

"How's he doing?" inquired Leo. 

"Stubborn as ever but finally sleeping," replied Abbey in a decidedly weary voice. 

"How about some coffee? You look like you could use some," said Leo. 

"Sounds like just what the doctor ordered," Abbey and Leo continued down the hall towards the elevator. 

"He'll be up and harassing the doctors first thing tomorrow," Abbey sighed, crossing her arms over her chest tightly as they got in the elevator. "I can guarantee you on that, even though I'd rather not do that, as it proves I've been around him too much when he's sick or hurt... You know, Leo, why is it that he seems to get the short end of everything? Remember when Jenny dumped champagne down his front at your wedding? And when Liz was born and he had the flu?" Abbey's hands slid wearily over her eyes. "And when Megan was born and he had just broken his back falling through thin ice because he didn't bother to listen to me and not go skating?" 

"Abs, listen, he's just a klutz and a pain in the ass. It's his mission to make life complicated for everyone, especially you, because you were unlucky enough to fall in love with, and marry, him," Leo said wryly as the elevator doors slid open and they headed for the cafeteria. 

"Yeah, but this time, he could have died..." she said quietly.”Sometimes, I wish I hadn't met him. Just because my life would *be* less complicated." 

"But you love him too much to even think that as a real possibility," Leo replied, ordering two cups of coffee and steering her to a table. "You realize you two never have told me how you met. All I know is he brought you to my wedding, and I had never heard a word about you from him." 

She chuckled and said, "Well, that's the way we meant it to be, Leo. If you don't know, you can't spread it around," she finished mysteriously with a wink. 

"Oh, Abbey, come on, please?" Leo wheedled like a little kid. 

It was obvious to her that he was still riding the fine line between sanity and breakdown... the last 24 hours had not been kind. So, she sighed, and said quietly, "Remember Disney's 'Sleeping Beauty', and that song, 'Once Upon a Dream'?" 

"Yeah." 

"That's how we met, Leo... once upon a dream..." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

1967  
South Bend, Indiana 

Abigail McCall sat bolt upright in her bed, a fine sheen of sweat covering her body, a longing in her heart, her body... Apparently, *he* had visited her dreams again... 

For the fifth time in three weeks, Abbey had awoken from a deep sleep in a state of both frustration and excitement. Just who was the man in her dreams? He was both good looking and charming, yet considerably older than she -- somewhat short, with brown hair that appeared reddish in the right light, piercing blue eyes and a smile to die for. 

She could never quite catch his name, Joe, Jake, Jeb? Something with a "J"... 

The dreams were disturbing enough by themselves, but they were coming at a time when she and Ron were starting to talk marriage -- Ron Erlich, her soon to be intended. The man she thought was the man of her dreams. They had been going together for 3 years, ever since Abbey had moved to South Bend to live with her grandmother when she was a junior in high school. After the death of her father, troubles with her mother back in New Hampshire had gotten too difficult to overcome and Nana welcomed her with open arms and an open mind. She had flourished in school and had been accepted to St. Mary's. While still in high school, she met Ron at a Notre Dame football game she was attending with her friends. 

Ron was her first love. The man she wanted to give her innocence to, eventually. 

Abbey rolled over in the bed to glance at the clock. 7:30. She had a 9:00 rehearsal with her accompanist at the church. She was doing a solo Sunday morning and really wasn't ready. She was having trouble concentrating -- on her music, on her studies, on everything. The trouble had started with the first dream a few weeks previously, and now she couldn't get him out of her head, asleep or awake. 

She could hear Nana downstairs, making breakfast. The smell of the coffee was enough to get her out of bed and into her bathrobe. She came down the stairs to find fresh coffee cake waiting on the table. 

Nana turned to greet her as she sat down at the table and picked up a glass of juice. "Good morning, Abigail. Sleep well?" 

Abbey tried to answer but ended up choking on the juice that had gone down the wrong way. Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she managed to answer, "Just fine," in a weak voice. 

"Abbey, are you losing you voice? I hope not -- you have that big solo this weekend..." Anne McCall said with concern in her voice. 

"Nana, I'm fine, the juice just went down the wrong way. Let's have breakfast." Abbey motioned for Anne to have a seat, but she just shook her head. 

"I don't have time to sit. I have a Garden Club meeting in half an hour and I have to get ready." 

Abbey just laughed. "Since when do you get dressed up for a Garden Club meeting? Aren't you going to be planting things and getting dirty? I just bet that new neighbor from down the street will be there; David Hamilton, isn't that his name?" 

Anne could feel her face blushing at the mere mention of her new neighbor's name. He was the talk of all the ladies on the block, a tall, handsome widower with time on his hands. "Abigail, don't you have better things to do than to tease your old grandmother?" 

Abbey shook her head. "No, not really, and you're not that old, Nana." She reached for another piece of coffee cake as Anne leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. 

"Thanks for the compliment. I'll see you later. Is Ron coming over for dinner?" Abbey stared out the window, a million miles away, not hearing a word her grandmother was saying. "Abigail Lynellen, didn't you hear me? Is Ron coming for dinner?" repeated Nana in a louder voice. 

"Oh..." said Abbey coming back to earth, "I don't know, I haven't asked him yet. I'll let you know." 

Anne walked out to the living room shaking her head and murmuring to herself, "I wonder what has gotten into that girl..." Satisfied with her appearance in the mirror, Anne left for her meeting, leaving behind her granddaughter, who was, at that moment, humming a tune she couldn't quite place. 

Abbey finished in the kitchen and went to shower and get ready for the day. Thoughts of her mystery man continued to fill her mind as she left the house for the short walk over to the church. Her accompanist, Edna Terry was waiting for her. 

Abbey got right to work on her picking her piece for Sunday. She had narrowed it down to "Ave Maria" or "Amazing Grace". As she sang she couldn't help but think of her dream man. 

What dreams would that night hold? 

Suddenly she realized she was still singing and Edna was not playing. "Abigail, we're done with the song," said Edna, starting to get a little annoyed with her wayward soloist. 

"I'm sorry, let's try each one once more and then we will pick the one for Sunday." After going through them both again they decided on "Ave Maria". Edna gathered her music and quietly left the church as a group of young candidates for the priesthood entered with Father Nicholas. 

Abbey thought maybe some time of reflection and prayer would be good for her soul at the moment so she quietly entered a pew at the rear of the church. The young men went into the front pews for their morning prayers. 

As she looked at them praying, she felt they were so lucky, they knew what they wanted out of life, not that she had any aspirations of becoming a nun or anything like that. It was just that they knew where they were headed. 

Something she was no longer sure of. 

The prayers had ended and the men rose to go to the altar for a class of some kind. Roll was called and each went up when his name was read. The first name in the B part of alphabet was called, "Bartlet, Josiah." Abbey watched as a somewhat short but nice looking young man stood up and promptly tripped over the kneeler. 

He landed head-first on the cold stone floor. Abbey was out of the pew in a flash, dashing up the main aisle, her pre-med instincts kicking into full gear. "Father Doniphan, get me a towel," she demanded. All of the snickers over Josiah's accident had ceased abruptly when she had turned him over and found him unconscious, a gash on the side of his temple. 

Abbey pressed the towel to the wound and shook her head. 

Soft, yielding lips... moans of pleasure and delight... a body molded to fit his... eyes of an angelic temptress, full of color and emotion; pools of devotion and adoration.... 

Josiah Bartlet winced as the sunlight burnt its way through his eyelids, amplifying the pain he was already feeling in his head. He moaned and tried to sit up, but was restrained gently. "Shh... don't try to get up," said a gentle voice. "You're on the couch in Father Doniphan's office." 

He forced himself to open his eyes and found himself staring up into the most beautiful face he had ever seen. "What happened...?" 

"You tripped and took out the kneeling pew. Knocked yourself out, too," the young woman said quietly. "How's your head?" 

"It hurts," he replied wryly. 

"I'd imagine," she said, lifting the towel off the wound. "Well, at least it's stopped bleeding, for the time being. I don't think you'll need stitches, but I'm only pre-med, so I wouldn't know for certain..." 

He couldn't stand watching her, not knowing her name... "I'm Josiah Bartlet, but everyone who gives a fig calls me Jed," he said. 

"I'm Abigail McCall," Abbey replied with a slight smile. "Tell me something \-- are you always that clumsy, or was that just a random accident?" 

He shrugged. "I'm always that clumsy." 

"Oh..." 

"I dropped the incense burner at Wednesday evening Mass," he chuckled. "I actually set myself on fire." 

Abbey chuckled and pressed a cool, wet cloth to the wound on his head, washing away the blood. "I'd pay real money to have seen that," she murmured. "But I missed Mass on Wednesday, because my boyfriend took me out dancing for my birthday." 

Jed felt his face fall. She had a boyfriend. Of course... of course she would have a boyfriend. She was beautiful, intelligent... sexier than hell... Where did that thought come from? he wondered, mentally shaking himself. He was going to be a priest -- torturing himself wasn't going to make that any easier. "Happy birthday," he said. 

"Thank you," Abbey replied with a smile. "It was my twentieth." 

"Old woman," he teased, wincing. 

"Oh, I'm sorry..." she murmured. "And I am not old." 

"I was only joking," he sighed. 

"Uh-huh..." She glanced at the clock on the wall and nearly had a fit. "Ohmigod... I'm supposed to be in World History right now!" she groaned, putting her hands over her eyes. 

Abbey sank down into the chair next to the couch trying to weigh her options. Part of her knew she belonged in class but part of her was not quite ready to leave her patient. There was just something about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Something oddly familiar. 

"Abigail, everything okay? You're staring at me. Do I still have blood on my face?" asked Jed. 

It took a minute for Abbey's brain to register the fact that someone was talking to her. "What? No, I cleaned all the blood away. I'm sorry, I was just trying to decide if I should run and make the second half of World History or not." She glanced at the clock once more and then at Jed. She made her decision based on her heart, not her head. "I can get the notes from my friend over the weekend." 

"Okay, you know -- if you ever need help in history just ask me; I'm great in history and I am just full of all kinds of useless trivia," said Jed as he struggled to sit up. 

"I'll keep that in mind. Here let me help you." Abbey helped Jed sit up and then took a seat next to him on the couch. "Are you ready to try and stand up?" 

"I think so; could you give me a hand?" Abbey stood up and Jed reached for her hand. The touch of his hand and hers could only be described as electric. They both felt something yet neither one knew how to put it into words. Jed stood for about 30 seconds before his face went pale and Abbey gently pushed him back onto the couch. "Lean over and put your head between your knees. Do you pass out easily?" 

Jed took a ragged breath and said, "No, I just hyperventilate." Abbey sat back down next to him and held his hand until his breathing returned to normal. It was a few minutes before either one could speak. Jed looked at his hand in Abbey's and quickly pulled it away. For the second time in an hour he thought, why am I torturing myself? She has a boyfriend and I am on my way to becoming a priest. 

"I think I'm ready to try and stand again." Jed stood up and just waited to see what would happen. He tried to focus on the crucifix over the door, anything to get his mind off of the lovely Abigail McCall who was at that moment gathering both of their belongings in her arms. Father Doniphan came back into the office to check on Jed.

"Josiah, are you going to be all right?" 

"Yes, sir. Miss McCall was very helpful. If I may, I think I would like to go back to the dorm and lie down for a while," answered Jed in a slightly shaky voice. 

"Very well, hope you feel better, son. Miss McCall, would you be able to accompany Josiah back to his dorm? I will call ahead and let them know you should be allowed in for just a minute. I must get back to the group. Thank you so much for your assistance today." 

"You are welcome, Father. I will see you Sunday," said Abbey as the older priest patted her arm. 

"Thank you, Father; I'm sure I will be well enough to help you serve at Mass in the morning." Father Doniphan left to return to his teaching. 

Abbey and Jed slowly walked outside and down the street towards Jed's dorm. Neither one spoke, but the silence between them spoke volumes. Both had feelings that they couldn't deny, even if they had wanted to. They arrived at his dorm and the young priest at the door let Abbey in without a word. Jed led the way up a flight of stairs and down the hall. After unlocking the door, he turned to Abbey, only to find himself utterly and completely speechless... something he was not accustomed to at all. It was Abbey who finally spoke. "Here is your textbook and your notebook. Are you sure you will be okay? You did take a nasty fall." 

"I'll be fine, I had a great doctor," said Jed, blushing slightly. 

"Pre-med student, actually. I should be going I have to meet Ro..someone for lunch." Abbey couldn't help but look at Jed. It was all she could do not touch the bruise on his temple. She balled her hands into fists to lessen the possibility of doing something she shouldn't. "I guess maybe I will see you at church sometime." 

"I'd like that, I'm assisting at the 10:00 mass on Sunday morning, will you be there?" said Jed, looking hopeful. 

"Yes, I am singing a solo, "Ave Maria". I was practicing right before you and your class came in this morning. I was having trouble concentrating on the music so I decided to pray for guidance, that's what I was doing when you, uh, tripped." 

"That was you singing? You have a beautiful voice." 

Now it was Abbey's turn to blush. "Thank you. I will see you Sunday -- take care and watch where you are going!" She turned to go down the hall but Jed caught her by the arm and turned her towards him. Time seemed to stand still as she looked into his bright blue eyes. 

"Abigail, do you want... oh, never mind. I'll see you Sunday." He gave her one last smile and went into his room, closing the door behind him. As he closed it, Abbey let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. 

What in the world am I doing?! Abbey thought to herself. I'm standing in a dorm full of young men destined to become priests, having completely impure thoughts about one of them! 

She turned quickly and ran down the stairs and out into the courtyard. She glanced at her watch -- great, now she was also running late to meet Ron. Ron... she wasn't sure she wanted to see him at the moment. Her mind was a jumble of confusing thoughts. She found a pay phone and cancelled her lunch with Ron, instead heading back to the one place she knew she could think, the church. 

Later that afternoon, after her Music theory class, Abbey headed home. During the walk home, she hummed to herself. When she got home she sat on the front porch swing, thinking, humming and swinging. She must have hummed the tune 10 times before she realized what it was that she was humming. 

**I know you  
**I walked with you  
**Once upon a dream  
**I know you  
**That gleam in your eyes  
**Is so familiar a gleam  
**And I know its true  
**That visions are seldom  
**All they seem  
**But if I know you  
**I know what you'll do  
**You'll love me at once  
**The way you did  
**Once upon a dream 

Then it hit her. It was him; the man in her dreams was Josiah Bartlet. She put her feet out to stop herself from swinging and just sighed. 

Abbey sat on the porch swing for the longest time, her mind on everything and nothing in particular. She was hard-put not to visualize Josiah Bartlet in her mind, which annoyed the bejeebers out of her. And what was it that she had finally equated between her mystery man and the klutz who had hurt himself...? The eyes... the beautiful blue eyes... sincerity and truth prevalent in them... With a scowl, she leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees, and her face in her hands, covering her eyes. Why was this happening to her? 

"Abigail, darling?" Anne said quietly, gently touching Abbey on the shoulder. 

Abbey nearly jumped out of her skin. "NANA, DON'T DO THAT!" she exclaimed, her hand over her heart. After her breathing had returned to normal, she asked, "How was Garden Club?" 

Anne gestured at her black skirt, where traces of dirt still lingered. "Messy, of course... what's the matter?" she asked, sitting beside her granddaughter on the swing. 

"Nothing is the matter," Abbey replied firmly, avoiding her grandmother's probing gaze. "I'm just..." 

"Just what?" Anne prompted. 

"Worried," Abbey said quietly. "I've been having the strangest dreams, and... Ron and I are talking about getting married, and Mom..." her voice trailed off to a whisper. "And Mom's coming to visit, remember?" 

"Yes, I remember," Anne replied gently. "And I'm pleased that you and Ron are talking about marriage, but even the best laid plans go awry, honey. And as far as your dreams..." 

"No, I'm not talking about it," Abbey interjected before her grandmother could finish the sentence. "Yes, I agree -- dreams have power. But I don't need you to analyze these, okay? I know exactly what they mean," she said with conviction, getting up and walking into the house to answer the ringing phone. "McCall residence," she said. 

"Hi, sweets," Ron Erlich said. "You busy tonight, since you cancelled lunch?" 

"No, of course not," Abbey said with a smile. "Nana wanted me to invite you over for dinner, anyway..." 

"No, Abs, I meant, are you free to go out for dinner tonight?" 

"I guess so," she said with a shrug. 

"Great. Wear something really nice," he instructed. "I'll pick you up at seven." 

"Okay, Ron," Abbey said. "Kisses." 

"Kisses," he replied, hanging up. 

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"So..." Abbey said quietly, primly putting her napkin on her lap. "Why the nice place, instead of the diner again?" she asked. They usually went out to eat at a little diner about a block from Notre Dame. 

"Because I want to talk to you about something important," Ron said with a sweet smile. He reached into his pocket and brought out a small jewelry box. "Abbey, I know it's not much, and I'm not much right now, but I love you, and I would be honored if you would marry me." 

Abbey's heart plummeted into her feet. Oh, God... 

"Ron, I... I don't know," she stammered, feeling sick. "I... give me time, please..." 

"Abbey, what's wrong?" he asked gently. 

"Nothing's wrong, and I wish everyone would just stop asking me what's wrong!" Abbey cried, standing up and flinging her napkin onto the floor. She grabbed her jacket and ran out of the restaurant into the dark of night, nearly colliding with someone along the way. 

"Hey, watch it!" came Jed's familiar voice as he caught her elbows and held her awkwardly to keep her from knocking them both down. "Miss McCall..." 

"Let me go!" Abbey demanded, glancing over her shoulder to see Ron coming her way. "Please, let me go," she begged. 

"Get your hands off of her!" Ron bellowed. 

"Ron, stop... Ron, don't..." Abbey said. "I just ran into him and..." 

"It's true," Jed supplied. "She came out of the restaurant and ran into me." 

"Let go of her," Ron ordered curtly. 

"STOP IT!" Abbey shouted, breaking herself free of Jed's hands and walking away from them both. She walked all the way home, ignoring Ron in his car, following her. She ran up the porch steps and slammed her way into the house. She picked up the note Anne had left on the table and scanned it quickly before going upstairs and flopping onto the bed. 

When she awoke hours later, she was in a state of panic. All she could remember of the dream was the rush of adrenaline her body was still riding and the words "Your husband was shot." 

Shot? Husband? 

Abbey lay on the bed trying to remember more of the dream. But nothing was coming back to her. Not even the face of one Josiah Bartlet. 

She glanced at the clock on the bedside table -- it read almost 3 in the morning. She stood up and realized she was still in the skirt and sweater she had worn to dinner with Ron. She took a nightgown from the dresser and pulled it on over her head. 

"What am I going to do?" Abbey thought to herself. "The man I thought was the man of my dreams proposed and I said no. The man of my actual dreams turns out to be a clumsy geek, studying to be a priest, who I can't stop thinking about!" She padded down the stairs to get a glass of milk. On the table were 2 pieces of paper. She picked up the one with the familiar handwriting. 

Abigail,  
A young man followed you and Ron home.  
I discovered him outside, tripping over  
the bushes. He left this note for you.

Nana 

Abbey reached for the other slip of paper. Her legs felt unsteady so she sat at the kitchen table. Her fingers trembled as she unfolded it. 

Abigail,  
I'm very sorry for what happened outside the restaurant. I won't pretend to  
know what happened between you and your friend. I just hope I didn't make  
things worse. I really want to make sure you are all right. Tell your  
grandmother, I'm sorry I startled her in the bushes. I didn't mean to trip  
but you've seen how clumsy I am and it was dark. Take care of yourself and I  
hope to see you on Sunday.

Jed Bartlet 

Abbey reread the note 4 times. The more she read it, the more she knew that marrying Ron was the wrong thing for her to do. But what was the right thing? she wondered. Certainly having feelings for one headed for a life of celibacy was not the right thing. But she was way beyond reasonable thinking at the moment. She went back to her room, tucked the note under her pillow and fell into a dreamless sleep. 

Abbey spent most of Saturday locked in her room, thinking. She refused to take Ron's calls. Even Nana was unsuccessful in getting her beloved granddaughter to come downstairs and talk. It was around 5 in the afternoon by the time Abbey crept down the stairs and went into the kitchen. A note on the table let her know Nana was on a date with David and Ron had called, 6 times. 

She finally got up the nerve to call him and try to explain herself. The conversation hadn't gone well and now she was in tears on the porch swing. Tears of what? she wondered. Tears for losing Ron? Tears for falling for an unavailable man? Tears for not knowing what she wanted? After an hour of sobbing and feeling sorry for herself, Abbey went in to the kitchen for a snack. The phone rang; she reached for the receiver, hoping with all her might that it wasn't Ron. It wasn't, it was worse. 

"Hello, Mother. How are you doing?" Abbey sighed and leaned against the counter, trying to think of ways to get her mother off the phone. Her mother went on and on about her younger sister, Marie, and her recent accomplishments as a musician and actress. 

Abbey loved her sister dearly, and was proud of her, but she was not in any kind of mood to hear all of this from her mother. "So when are you and Marie coming for a visit? Oh, that soon, sounds great. Can't wait to see you. Ron? Well, we are having a little bit of a rough time right now. No, I'm not sure if you will seeing him. I'll have to see how things go. Mother, I have to go, there's someone at the door. Love you, too." 

Abbey hung up the phone and went into the living room. She stared out the front door -- of course there was no one there. She walked back upstairs and climbed back into bed, not wanting to be awake when Nana returned from her date. She pulled up the covers and whispered to herself, "Okay, dreams, now is your chance, what am I supposed to do?" 

She woke up at six on Sunday morning. Before opening her eyes, she tried as hard as she could to remember her dreams. She could only recall bits and pieces. A black car, a blond haired man, a young woman with tears in her eyes, Jed in a hospital bed. She couldn't make sense out of any of the images except one, Jed, and even then the hospital bed didn't make any sense. She sighed to herself and then realized that in 4 short hours she would be in the same church as Josiah Bartlet. Her heart skipped a beat as she headed towards the bathroom. 

She arrived at church by 9:15, hoping to get a glimpse of Jed before the Mass. She went to the choir room and practiced with Mrs. Terry. Any lingering thoughts of not being ready to sing disappeared as she went through the piece twice. By 9:50, she was sitting in the choir loft keeping a close eye on the center aisle. Then she saw him, in his vestments. He was once again carrying the incense burner and she hoped he wouldn't drop it. He brought it to the front of the church and as he turned to take his seat he saw her and gave the slightest of smiles. Abbey's heart melted. 

Abigail McCall had been singing in public for almost 10 years without getting very nervous. But on that morning, sitting and listening to the opening hymn and prayers she found her hands shaking and her stomach doing flips. It was her turn to sing; she stood and sent up a silent prayer. Her voice filled the large sanctuary. 

As she finished her solo, she looked down where Jed was sitting. He was staring at her as if they were the only two people in the room. She returned to her seat and somehow made it through the service. She didn't have a clear view of Jed from her seat but she did see him at communion. She looked at him just as she took a sip of wine and nearly choked. He had to work hard to keep a straight face. 

When the service ended, she went to the choir room to grab her pocketbook and coat. She desperately wanted to see Jed but thought he would have things to do after the service. She was buttoning her coat when she heard someone come into the room. 

"Abigail?" Her head flew around and her eyes met Jed's. For a moment time stood still. "Would you like to... I mean I was going to go out to... would you like to go get something to eat with me? I want to properly thank you for your help the other day." 

"I'd love to go, but you don't need to thank me again. You already did. By the way, how is your head?" Without thinking, she reached out her hand and touched his bruised temple. His blue eyes met her hazel ones and the gaze lasted way too long for two people who were not meant to be together. It was Jed who finally looked away. 

"How about the diner down the street?" Jed sensed Abbey's hesitation and asked, "I guess that's where you and your boyfriend usually go?" Abbey could only shake her head. "Okay, we'll go somewhere else.'" 

Jed led the way out of the church and down the street to a little restaurant where he'd eaten before with some of his classmates. 

They entered the small room and found a booth in the back. The next two and a half hours went by like it was ten minutes. They didn't eat much but they sure talked. About everything, about nothing. Abbey had never felt so at ease around a man before. Conversations, stories, and feelings just flowed from her as never before. She told him about everything -- her father's death, her problems with her mother, the decision to come live in South Bend, her grandmother and even about Ron. 

Jed was a great listener. He was charming, adorable and as she kept repeating to herself, totally unattainable. 

Jed did his share of the talking, too. He told about growing up in New Hampshire, as part of the family that had founded the state 2 centuries ago. He told of his decision to enter the priesthood, he told stories of his youth and of his best friend, Leo. 

At last, the conversation slowed and Jed asked for the check. They left the restaurant and walked back to her house. Nana was on the porch swing with David when they returned. Abigail made the introductions and the 4 of them chatted for a while. Both Jed and Abbey had studying to do, so Jed walked back to campus, with his mind full of questions and his heart full of longing. 

Nana and David went out for a walk after dinner. When she returned, Abbey was studying at the kitchen table. She looked up when her grandmother entered the room. "So, Abigail, are you going to tell me just what is going on, or am I going to have to guess?" 

"No, you don't have to guess. I'll tell it all..." She took a deep breath and spilled the whole story ending up with, "I think I'm falling in love with a man destined to be a servant of God." 

Anne looked at the pain in her granddaughter's eyes. "I don't know what to say about Jed Bartlet, other than he's quite cute. However, I think you did do the right thing about Ron. I really don't think it was meant to be." 

Abbey sighed, "But now what, Nana?" 

Anne took Abbey's hands in hers and said simply, "Follow your dreams." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Jed awoke from a sound sleep, very uncomfortably aroused. With a groan, he pulled the pillow down over his face in an unconscious attempt to smother himself. He knew exactly who he had been dreaming about, and it wasn't Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe... Sighing, he got up and went into the bathroom, peeled off his clothes, and stepped into the icy shower. 

He realized very quickly that the cold water wasn't going to help do anything but make it worse, because all he could get into his head was the picture of Abbey's warm hands all over his body... 

He had only ever had sex with two women in all of his 23 years on earth -- one when he was 16 and the other when he was 18. And it was the latter that had made him decide to become a priest. He had never felt anything like what Abbey did to him unconsciously... 

He was falling in love with her. 

But how could he be in love with her if his true path was the priesthood? How could he be in love with her when she was in love with someone else -- that Ron fellow? Too many obstacles and roadblocks separated them. 

He visualized her face in his mind, her gentle smile... her beautiful, kind eyes... And he knew that he was in so much trouble it wasn't even funny. 

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Abbey somehow managed to avoid Ron and Jed for almost two weeks. Her mother, Isabelle, and her sister, Marie, arrived and made themselves comfortable in Anne's house. And already, Abbey couldn't wait for them to leave. 

"Dear heart," Isabelle called as Abbey tried to run out the door. "Aren't you going to eat some breakfast?" 

"I'm not hungry," Abbey replied, pushing the door open into Jed's face -- literally. "Oh no, Jed, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, dropping her books and pulling her handkerchief out of her skirt pocket and pinching his bleeding nose in it. "Are you all right?" 

"I'm fine," was his muffled response. "I came to see if you were okay. You haven't been at church..." 

"I've been sick," Abbey said. "Come inside and I'll clean you up." She guided him inside and into the kitchen, past her inquisitive family's stares. 

"Is Jed all right?" Anne called. 

"I'm fine, Mrs. McCall," Jed replied as Abbey cleaned him up. "Were you really sick, or were you just avoiding me?" he asked Abbey quietly. 

"Both," Abbey said, honestly. "My mother and sister are visiting, and... well..." 

"Ah," he said knowingly. "Want to go out later or something?" 

"Anything to stay out of the house!" Abbey giggled quietly. "There, all better. You are such a klutz." 

"Yeah, but you like me anyway," he teased, and then looked aghast at what he had just said so presumptuously. 

Abbey blushed. "Yes, I like you anyway," she murmured. "Come meet my mother, Jed," she said quietly, leading him into the dining room. "Mom, Marie, this is my friend, Josiah Bartlet. He's a student at Notre Dame, and is originally from Manchester." 

"New Hampshire?" Isabelle asked with a smile. When Jed nodded, she gushed, "Oh, well, that's where we're from!" 

Jed shot Abbey a side-long glance, and watched her blush. "Mom, please..." she murmured. 

"I bet your parents are Thomas and Katherine Bartlet, aren't they?" Isabelle asked. 

"Yes," he said cautiously. 

"Katherine and I are in the sewing circle together! Isn't that such a coincidence?" 

Abbey looked like she wanted to crawl under the table and DIE. "I've got to get to class. Sorry, mom..." She sprinted for the door, on the verge of tears. Jed caught up with her on the porch, picking up her books which she had dropped to clean him up. She looked at him and put her hand over her mouth before walking quickly down the path to the sidewalk. 

"Abigail, wait!" Jed called, running to catch up with her. "Are you all right?" 

"No, I'm not!" Abbey sobbed angrily, throwing her books down on the ground again, this time with the full intention of having done it. "And I'm tired of everyone asking if I am! You, mom, Nana, Ron, Marie... my friends... everyone! I'm sick of it! Sick and tired of it!" Tears streaked down her cheeks and she swiped at them. "And what do any of you care, anyway, if I am hurting?" 

"I care," Jed said quietly. "Will you tell me what's wrong?" 

"My whole life is wrong! I see people with their perfect families and their mothers who love them, and I feel so sick inside, because I know my mother loves me, but she can't stand being around me. And I see perfectly happy couple walking around, and I think about what Ron and I could have had if I hadn't been so stupid as to turn his proposal of marriage down!" she ranted, sinking to the ground in despair, crying and crying... "And now... I'm in love, but the man I'm in love with doesn't love me." 

Jed put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said gently. "Is there anything I can do...?" 

"No," she choked. "No..." She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and whispered, "Hold me, please..." 

Jed shook his head. "I don't think that's such a good idea... for either of us," he said. "Come on. I'll walk you to class," he said gently, helping her to her feet. About ten minutes later, he asked, "What are you doing this weekend?" 

"Nothing," Abbey whispered, wiping away the last of her angry tears. "Why?" 

"Leo's getting married and I'm the best man. I have to go up to Ann Arbor, and I was just thinking about how lonely it was going to get on the way up and back." He looked very shy, very hesitant, as he asked, "Would you like to come with me?" 

"Mom and Nana won't like it," Abbey said, biting her thumbnail. "But... I am an adult." She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I'll come with you," she finally said. 

"Great," he said with a smile. "And did I tell you? I've dropped out of the seminary." 

Abbey stared at him. "You're joking," she accused. 

"No, I'm serious. I've changed to a double major in economics and secondary education," he said, shrugging. "Might as well put all that useless trivia to use." 

"So you're not going to be a priest?" She could hardly dare hope he was telling the truth. Surely any moment now, he'd laugh at her for believing him. 

"Nope. My mother will wig out when I tell her," he grinned. 

"I can imagine," Abbey chuckled. "Especially with what I remember about your mother." 

"She will be especially upset when I tell her I left the seminary because of a woman that I had fallen in love with," Jed said. 

Abbey recoiled as if she had been slapped, but recovered quickly. "Of course she would be," she said calmly, though her heart was beating a painful tattoo in her chest. 

"Yeah," he said. "Well, we're here." 

"I'll see you later," Abbey said weakly, walking into the Sciences Hall of St. Mary's for her anatomy class. But she couldn't keep her mind on the parts of the physical heart, for puzzling out the painful secrets of the human heart. When her classes were over for the day, she came out of the English building and saw Jed on a bench, waiting for her. "What are you...?" 

"I'm here to walk you home," he replied with a smile. 

"I don't need you to walk me home," she said indignantly, walking past him with her chin raised. 

"Abigail..." 

"Abbey!" Abbey said, turning around. "You call me Abigail all the time, why don't you call me Abbey like I want to be called?" 

"Because you introduced yourself to me as Abigail, and I thought..." 

"Don't think!" she retorted. She stopped and covered her eyes, seeing the hurt in his beautiful eyes. "Oh God, Jed, I'm sorry..." 

"No, you're right. You're a big girl. You don't need me to walk you home," Jed said, walking away quickly, trying not to let her see him upset. 

Abbey walked home slowly, wishing the ground would crack open and swallow her up. She went into the house and breezed past her sister, running up the stairs, trying so very hard not to cry. She slammed the door shut and flung herself onto the bed, beating on the mattress in anger -- anger towards herself as much as towards Jed. 

He loved someone else... He had actually given up the priesthood for someone he had fallen in love with. Oh, she had no right to feel this way! She had no right to be so jealous... 

Anne came quietly into the room. "Abigail?" she murmured gently. "Are you..." 

"NO, I'M NOT ALL RIGHT!" 

"I was going to ask if you were going to talk to me." 

Abbey stared up at her grandmother with distant eyes. "Jed left the seminary. He's in love with someone," she whispered, bursting into tears and moving for her grandmother's comforting arms. "I... I..." 

"Shh..." Anne murmured. "If it's meant to be, it will happen." 

When Abbey had finished crying, she said, "I'm going to Michigan with Jed this weekend for his best friend's wedding." 

"All right," Anne said. "You know the rules, and I trust you." 

Abbey nodded. "I think I'll be able to love him quietly, without him knowing," she murmured. Sadly, she said, "I wish I was as good an actress as Marie." 

Anne hugged her again. "Your mother made lasagna, if you want to come down and eat," she said. 

"No, thank you. I'm not really hungry," Abbey said softly, putting her head in her hands. 

"Okay." 

Anne left and Abbey went back to feeling sorry for herself. There was a knock on her door not too long later, and Marie stuck her head into the room. "Hi," she said quietly. "That guy who came earlier is here again. He wants to talk to you. He fell in the bushes and is all scratched up..." 

Abbey frowned. "Tell him I'm studying and that he needs to start carrying a flashlight if he's gonna go out after dark," she said coolly. 

"Abs, I'm not your messenger. Tell him yourself," Marie said, flouncing off. "She's up here," she called down to Jed. 

Abbey covered her head with the pillow and prayed he wouldn't come upstairs. When she heard shuffling feet in the hallway, she knew God was playing poker with the Devil again, and they were the stakes. There was a sudden yelp and thud, and she threw the pillow away. "You klutz!" she bellowed, storming into the hallway. 

Jed was sprawled on his belly, having gotten his shoe caught on a raised spot in the carpet and tripping. "I fell in the bushes again," he groaned, sitting up and showing her his scratched face and arms. 

"You are just..." Abbey said, getting down on her knees to inspect the damage, "...an incredible piece of work!" 

He flinched when she examined his latest bump on the head and slapped her hands away. "I came to say I'm sorry," he said. 

"What do you have to be sorry for?" she inquired, helping him up and pulling him into her bedroom, to keep their conversation away from prying eyes. 

"I'm sorry... I thought you knew when I said I had fallen in love and left the seminary... I thought you knew I had left to be with you," he said gently. 

Abbey looked at him like he had grown two heads. "What?" she rasped. "You left... the seminary... for me? You're... in love... with me?" She burst into tears of relief. "Oh, God, Jed..." 

"I know you're in love with someone, but I wanted to tell you anyway. I don't think I'll regret this," Jed said quietly. 

"You geek!" Abbey exclaimed, launching herself into his arms. "I'm in love with you! Why do you think... I was so upset?" 

"So jealous?" he supplied weakly. 

"YES!" 

"Oh, what fools these mortals be!" Marie giggled in the hallway. 

"MARIE! MOM, *DO* SOMETHING!!" Abbey shrieked, hitting the door. 

"Marie, leave your sister alone," Isabelle called. 

"Marie, come help me with this," Anne shouted. 

When they were sure Marie had left, Abbey and Jed faced each other again. "I love you so much it hurts," Abbey whispered. "You're the reason I said no when Ron proposed, even if I didn't know it then." 

"I've dreamed of you every night since I met you," Jed confessed. 

"I dreamed of you before I even met you," Abbey said quietly, blushing. "But I didn't know you were going to turn out to be such a klutz," she teased, trying to inject a little levity into the very serious conversation. 

"Abbey... can I kiss you?" he asked quietly. "I've wanted to kiss you for a very long time..." 

"Yes," she said softly, with a small smile. "Kiss me, my love." It felt so good to say that... He came closer and captured her lips in a gentle, tender kiss, worshipful... She kissed back, turning herself over to the hunger that suddenly raged within her, running her fingers through his hair, holding his lips to hers until neither could breathe. They broke apart for only as long as it took to gasp a quick breath of air, then were together again, their kisses growing more passionate by the moment. They staggered back to the bed, falling onto it in a tangle of limbs. 

There was a knock on the door, and they sprang apart guiltily as Anne came in. "Why don't you to come down and eat?" she suggested, raising her eyebrow at their slightly disarrayed state. "There's lasagna, salad, and bread." 

"Dinner sounds good," Jed said. "Doesn't it, Abbey?" 

"Very good," she managed to choke out. 

"Why don't you go on down, Jed," Anne suggested. When he left, she said, "Abbey, you'd best remember that until you're married, there will be no sex for you under my roof." She smirked slightly. "Unless I happen to be out of the house at the time." 

"Nana!" Abbey giggled, turning red. 

"I could have told you he loved you," Anne said sagely, going back downstairs. 

Abbey checked her reflection in the vanity mirror and ran her brush through her hair, so she didn't look to terribly rumpled. She walked downstairs and sat down at the dining room table with Jed, where two plates of food he had put together sat in wait. "Hi," he said, almost shyly. 

"Hi," she replied, blushing. 

"Your mom's a good cook," he said awkwardly. "I remember she used to bake cookies for the bake sale at school every year." 

Abbey shrugged. "I used to make them, too," she said, taking a bite of salad. "But after daddy died... I couldn't cook anything." A small smile graced her lips and she said, "I remember when daddy used to run around the store frantically, putting away everything that might break in the store, because someone saw the Bartlet brothers coming down the street for a soda." She giggled at the wounded look on Jed's face. "And he used to make me earn my allowance, cleaning up after you and John," she confessed with a grin. 

Jed frowned. "That's not funny," he grumbled. "It's not John's and my fault that we're walking disasters." 

"I know it's not," Abbey said gently, touching him on the arm. "And I think you're sweet. But... I may just have to invest in band-aids and antiseptics if this is more than just a passing thing." 

"Start investing," he replied wryly. "Because I'm not gonna let you get away." She blushed and looked down into her food, embarrassed. "Abbey, will you marry me?" 

Her head snapped up and she gasped, "Marry you? I've only known you a few days!" Her face had gone very pale. 

"Abbey, we grew up together," he said patiently. "And I love you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life... please marry me." 

"Let me think about it," she whispered. "I need some time..." 

George Washington University Hospital 

Leo sat back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, his feet up on the seat next to him. "You mean to tell me that after all the two of you went through, you said, 'Let me have some time?' Abs, what were you trying to do? Kill him? 

Abbey sat across from Leo, elbows on the table, chin in her hands. "I was just so shocked I didn't know what to say. That was the first thing that popped into my mind. But I didn't wait too long to accept his proposal. I only made him wait until the weekend of your wedding." 

Leo leaned forward and rested his own elbows on the table. "So, tell me about the trip up to Michigan." 

Abbey took a deep breath to start the story but then paused to check her watch. She was amazed to see that almost 2 hours had passed by in the blink of an eye. "I'd better go check on Jed first. I promise, I will tell you the whole story later. You look really tired... why don't you go down to the waiting room and try to get some sleep?" 

Leo stood up and stretched. "I could use a few hours sleep... You going to be all right?" 

"I'll be fine. Hopefully he's still sleeping." They walked back to the elevator and took it up to Jed's floor. Abbey gave Leo's hand a squeeze as he went left to the waiting room and she turned to the right to check on her husband. Abbey entered the room -- Jed was lying on his left side facing the door. The light over the bed was casting dark shadows on his face and even from the door Abbey knew something wasn't quite right. She walked to the bed and put a hand on Jed's cheek. He was very warm and very pale. The pulse ox monitor was still on his index finger, she leaned over the bed to get a glance at the reading, 94. It should be much closer to 100 with the nasal oxygen on, she thought to herself. 

She turned up the light over the bed and Jed started to stir. "Sweetie, it's me, can you hear me?" Jed opened his eyes halfway and nodded slightly. "How do you feel?" 

He whispered, "Like crap." 

She smoothed back his hair and reached for the cup of water on the bedside table. "Do you want some water?" Jed again nodded weakly and tried to sit up. Abbey raised the head of the bed a bit and held the straw up to Jed's lips. With great effort, he lifted his head a bit and took a sip of water. "Lie back down and try to relax." 

She pushed the call button and then the button on the blood pressure cuff that was still wrapped around his arm. 90/50, low but that was probably due to the stress of the shooting and the surgery. She turned to the cart next to the bed to look for the ear thermometer. As she was looking, Dr. Keller entered the room. 

"What seems to be the problem, Dr. Bartlet?" Dr. Keller asked as he removed the stethoscope from around his neck and started to listen to Jed's lungs. 

Abbey found the ear thermometer and took her husband's temperature. "Temp's 101.5" For a fleeting second Abbey thought about making Dr. Keller the 16th person in the world to know about her husband's MS but she stopped just short of blurting it out. Let's see what happens next, she thought to herself. "Blood pressure is 90/50. Pulse ox is a very low, considering he is on O2. How are his lungs?" 

"Lungs sound fine. I'm going to order some stronger antibiotics in case an infection is brewing. We'll open up the IV and see if that brings up his pressure and of course we will give him something for the fever. Let's take the nasal prongs out and try a mask." 

At the mention of the oxygen mask, Jed's left arm reached up and grabbed Abbey's hand. He shook his head no. "Honey, it's just for a little while. Really, it will help you feel better," said Abbey, trying to keep calm. All sorts of post-op complications were forming in her head. "Dr. Keller is just trying to make you more comfortable." Jed looked at her with eyes full of fear. 

Abbey decided to get out of Dr. Keller's way and went on the other side of the bed to try and calm Jed down. His breathing was starting to get fast and shallow. "Honey, look at me. Take a deep breath and hold it as long as you can." Jed tried his best, but it didn't go very well. "Try it again. We don't need you hyperventilating now." She took his right hand in hers and looked him straight in the eyes. "Just breathe with me, in and out. Slowly." 

Despite her efforts Jed wasn't calming down. She turned to Dr. Keller, "Can you give him a sedative? He's very prone to hyperventilating." Dr. Keller nodded and turned to the cabinet to get something to calm Jed down. Abbey turned to Ron Butterfield who was quietly watching from the door. "Could you go get Leo for me? He's in the waiting room..." Ron nodded and left the room quickly. 

Abbey took the oxygen tubing off of Jed's face and Dr. Keller handed her the mask. Jed's eyes widened and he again shook his head. "Honey, I'll just hold it here, okay?" Jed nodded his head and resigned himself to having the mask. For a while Abbey just held it over his mouth and nose. His breathing was very slowly returning to normal. 

Dr. Keller brought in an injection and handed it to Abbey. "I want to go check on some of his blood work, I'll be back in a minute." 

Leo entered the room with a very worried look on his face. "What happened?" 

Abbey motioned for him to hold the mask for her. "He's running a temp of 101.5, his blood pressure and pulse ox levels are low and he was on the verge of hyperventilating." 

Leo just looked at Jed and smiled. "You never do anything the easy way, do you, my friend?" Jed gave a weak smile and shrugged his shoulders the best he could. 

Leo took Abbey by the arm and pulled her a few feet away from the bed. "You're worried the fever will bring on a relapse aren't you?" he asked, casting a concerned look back towards his best friend. 

"Very. I almost told Dr. Keller everything. Oh, Leo, why does this always happen to him? It's just not fair!" Abbey tried to keep the tears that were forming in her eyes from spilling over down her cheeks. Leo nodded towards the bed, Jed was awake, intently listening to their conversation. Abbey walked back to the bed and put her hand on Jed's shoulder. 

"Honey, I'm going to give you a shot of Ativan. It will help you relax." Abbey reached over and injected the sedative into the IV tubing. She took a step back from the bed and let out a loud sigh. The events of the last half an hour were beginning to catch up with her. "I'm going to go out in the hall for a minute to collect myself" she leaned over and whispered to Leo. "He should fall asleep in a few minutes, when he does just slip the elastic around his head and you can stop holding the mask." Leo nodded and pulled up a stool to sit next to Jed. 

Abbey walked into the hallway and leaned back against the wall. The tears she had been holding in since she walked back into Jed's room flowed freely down her cheeks. She walked up and down the hall for a few minutes, thinking and praying. Ron got some tissues and a drink of water for her and went back to his post. Abbey came back down the hall to look in the window of Jed's room. Leo was still on the stool. Jed was still awake, but had allowed Leo to put the oxygen mask on him. Leo reached over to wipe a tear away from Jed's cheek, causing Abbey to cry all over again. Leo turned and saw Abbey in the window. He just winked and turned back to the bed. Abbey sat down in one of the chairs to compose herself enough to go back into the room. 

After a few more minutes, she felt in control enough to go back in. She looked in the window again and saw Jed had fallen asleep. Leo had turned off the light over the bed. He pulled up the covers and then leaned over to plant a kiss on the cheek of the most powerful man in the world. Abbey just smiled as she walked back into the room. "How do you do that, Leo? You can always get him to calm down. You're even better at it than me." 

Leo smiled. "I've been doing it longer than you." Leo and Abbey pulled two chairs up next to the bed and tried to make themselves comfortable, as it looked like they were in for a long night. 

"So, Abbey, you still have to tell me about your trip up to Michigan," said Leo, breaking the silence. 

"What is there to tell?" Abbey murmured tiredly. "We took a bus up and almost got thrown off the bus for necking in the very back," she said with an impish smile, tinged with a bit of exhaustion. "And we talked. A lot. He kept trying to come up with ways to convince me to marry him... when all he had to do was smile at me and say, 'I love you', and I would have been a goner." She smiled sadly and gently stroked her husband's arm. 

"What were some of the things he said to try to convince you?" Leo asked, putting his arm around her waist and hugging her. 

"He said we'd live in a beautiful house, and have beautiful, smart children who loved us very much, and..." her voice trailed off as she tried not to cry. 

"Shh..." Leo murmured, holding Abbey close and rocking her as she cried. 

"I love him so much, Leo," she finally sniffled, wiping her eyes. "I can't... I can't stand seeing him like this... It hurts me more than it does him," she whispered, kissing Jed's hand. "And it makes me wonder why... what did he do now to piss God off?" 

"He didn't piss God off," Leo said firmly. "He pissed off the Devil by being such a good man, such a good *leader* of men. And the Devil sent out his minions... and I can't believe I'm saying this, when I haven't been to Mass in forever, and confession in even longer!" 

"You're saying it because you believe it," Abbey mumbled, holding Leo's hand tightly. "And that means everything..." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Abbey giggled as she and Jed got off the bus in Ann Arbor. "I can't believe you almost got us thrown off the bus!" she exclaimed as they waited in line to get their bags. 

"Me?!" Jed gasped in outraged innocence. "You're the one who had to be so damn cute..." 

"I'm not cute!" she giggled, blushing. 

"You are." 

"Not." 

"Are." 

"Oh, let's just get the bags!" Abbey said, biting her lip. 

They retrieved their luggage and went to the front of the depot, where a young man with strawberry blonde hair yelled, "Hey, Bartlet-brat!" 

Jed shouted, "LEO!" and ran for the man, leaving Abbey alone on the platform with her bags while he and his best friend shook hands and greeted each other with youthful exuberance. "Abbey, c'mere!" Jed finally called when they had finished. "Why the heck were you standing over there by yourself?" he asked when she joined them. 

"Because... I didn't want to get in the way," she said with a shrug. 

"You wouldn't have been in the way!" Jed exclaimed. "Leo, this is Abbey McCall. We grew up together, well, sort of... and we ran into each other in South Bend a few weeks ago. Abbey, this is my best friend, Leo McGarry." 

"Hi," she said shyly, reaching out to shake Leo's hand. 

"Hi," Leo replied with a grin. "I'd better get you guys home... Why'd you decide to come in at 3AM, anyway?" he asked, yawning slightly. 

"Because we knew you and Jenny'd be awake," Jed teased with a grin, earning a punch in the arm from Leo. "I was only joking!" 

"I know," Leo grumbled with a wink. Jed grabbed Abbey's hand and they walked to Leo's clunking hunk 'o' junk of a car. 

"You still have this POS?" Jed laughed as they climbed in. 

"It may be a POS on the outside, but Jenny's dad just refitted the engine, and it runs like a dream," Leo grinned. For Abbey's benefit, he explained, "My fiancee's father owns a car repair shop." 

"Oh," Abbey said, nodding. "Okay." 

They got to the apartment where Leo and Jenny would live following the ceremony, where Leo already had made a quiet home, and crashed for the night. 

Abbey snapped up out of a sound sleep, and tried to control her breathing. Jed... hospital... The dream that wouldn't leave her alone... She glanced at the glow-in-the-dark clock on the wall of the living room and sighed. It was only 7:30... The phone began ringing off the hook, and when no one made a move to answer it, she got up and grabbed it, saying, "McGarry residence." 

"I've gotta talk to Leo... who is this?" a female voice demanded. 

"Who are you?" Abbey countered. 

"His fiancee!" Jenny was beginning to get indignant. 

"Well, I'm his best friend's girlfriend, so I'm not encroaching on your territory," Abbey replied curtly. "What do you need?" She was not a morning person, and having to deal with a panicky, snippy bride at this time of the morning was making her about be *this* close to losing her temper. 

"I need to talk to Leo! One of my bridesmaids is sick... the wedding is in 4 hours!" Jenny burst into tears. 

"Hey, it's okay," Abbey said, trying to be soothing. "I can fill in, if you want me to..." 

"Would you?" Jenny sniffled. 

"Yeah... if I can have another hour's sleep. We didn't get to bed until past 3:30..." 

"OH THERE IS A GOD!" Abbey had to hold the phone away from her ear as Jenny gave her shouted instructions about where to be, when to be there, etc. As soon as she was done, they got off the line, and Abbey went over to the couch and climbed onto it with Jed. They just barely fit on it, but... 

As Leo and Jenny said their vows, Jed glanced over at Abbey, who was biting her lower lip. She glanced over at him and hid a smile. A 'I know something you don't know' smile. He resolved to tickle it out of her after Leo and Jenny headed off to St. Louis for their honeymoon. 

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Leo and Jenny kissed, and headed off down the aisle. Jed offered his arm to the maid of honor, as he was supposed to, and began going down the aisle again. Unfortunately, he tripped along the way, smashing, face-first, into the carpet. 

"Jed!" Abbey exclaimed behind him. Several people, including Leo and Jenny, who had doubled back, crowded around him as Abbey kneeled beside him. "Jed, are you all right?" she asked, helping him up as best she could. 

"I tripped," he said. 

"Well, you'd better stop doing that! Not only does it hurt, but I don't want our kids to inherit your family's klutz gene," Abbey murmured, kissing him on the cheek. 

"Our kids...? Wha... does that mean...?" Jed looked like he'd been hit with a sledge hammer. 

"Does that mean I'll marry you?" Abbey supplied with a smile. He nodded. "Yes, it means I will marry you, Josiah Bartlet, Klutz Extraordinaire, who left the ranks of priests-to-be to be with me. I will marry you. And have your babies. And we'll live in a big white house, like you promised on the bus!" 

"Abbey..." he gasped, pulling her close for a kiss. "I love you!" 

"And I love you, Klutz-boy," she giggled, kissing him back. 

"Um... I hate to burst your bubble, Jed, but it's *our* wedding," Leo said with a smile. 

"Yeah, I know," Jed laughed in reply, getting to his feet and helping Abbey up. "Let's go party!" 

Four hours later, Jed and Abbey were safely ensconced back in Leo and Jenny's apartment, and Abbey was soaking champagne out of Jed's good suit jacket. Jed had tripped and fallen into Jenny while he and Abbey were dancing at the reception, and had wound up with champagne all down his front. She sighed and stirred the water, adding a little bit more baking soda to it, and then went back into the living room. 

Leo and Jenny had already begun the trip to St. Louis for their honeymoon, and had left the apartment keys with Jed. Jed and Abbey were scheduled to take the bus back to South Bend the next evening. 

"I don't have money to buy you a fancy new ring," Jed said, completely out of the blue. 

"I don't need a fancy new ring," Abbey replied, sinking into the couch beside him. "All I need is you." 

"Abbey..." 

"Jed, no, I don't want to hear how much you wish you could give me something I don't need," she said earnestly, cupping his face in her hands. "I don't need a fancy engagement ring. I just need you." She brought him close for a gentle kiss. "I love you so much." 

He nodded, speechless, transfixed by her beautiful earnestness. Finally, he managed to say, "I love you, too..." 

Abbey nodded and smiled. "Look... it's snowing," she murmured, looking out the window. "Wait a minute... snowing in May? Oh, this is not good...." 

Jed only had to agree. An hour later, the snow was falling so thickly that they couldn't see the building across the street. Power came and went. Water was gone. The temperature inside the building was going down. 

Abbey was wrapped in five blankets, her teeth chattering in her skull. "Jed... I don't think we're going home in the morning," she managed to force out between her clenched teeth. 

He dropped the sheet that functioned as a curtain down and pinned it in place with a couple of thumbtacks to try and insulate the room as much as possible. "I don't think so, either," he replied, turning to look at her. "Abbey, you're turning purple," he said, grabbing another blanket. 

He threw the blanket over Abbey, pulled it up to her chin and tucked it around her. "Better?" Abbey could only shake her head no, her teeth chattering too much to talk. "Well, Abbey, there's only one solution to our problem... move over and let me under there with you." Abbey sat straight up and weighed her options silently, freeze to death or let him in and possibly do something she might not be ready for... She took a deep breath and replied, "I have the feeling I am going to regret this, but come on under." She lifted one corner of the blankets and let Jed crawl under with her. He tucked the blankets around them both and took Abbey in his arms. 

"See?" he murmured, kissing her on her chilly cheek. "Isn't it a bit warmer already?" She nodded, almost imperceptibly, and tried not to think about how good it felt to be in his embrace. "You hungry?" 

"No," she replied. "Too cold to be hungry." 

"Okay. Let me know if you get hungry." 

What was up with the inane small talk? Abbey wondered. 

"Did you know that when the human body temperature drops to a certain level, bodily functions start to..." Abbey placed her hand over Jed's mouth to shut him up. 

"God, I must really love you to put up with all of these endless facts -- not to mention the clumsiness. What have I gotten myself into?" she teased. Jed tried to look wounded, but ended up laughing along with her. 

"Maybe we should do something else to keep warm," Jed whispered. 

Abbey swallowed past a lump in her throat. "Jed... please... I don't know if I'm ready for... Ron and I didn't even..." 

"So much the better," Jed growled, getting an enormously possessive look on his face at the mere *mention* of her former suitor. "Do you trust me?" 

"Of course I trust you," she murmured, her teeth still chattering. "But..." 

"No buts, Abigail. If you trust me, you know I won't do anything to hurt you," he murmured. 

"I know you would never do anything to hurt me. It's just that I feel so ... inexperienced. I mean, I'm 20 years old, and I have no experience at all. I always thought I would wait until I was married. I assume you didn't exactly wait?" She already knew the answer but had to hear if from him anyway. 

"No, I didn't wait. Although I really wish I had waited for you. But believe me, I'm no expert either. I think you have to have more than 2 tries to be an expert," said Jed with a smile on his face. 

Abbey chuckled and snuggled closer to him, desperately seeking warmth. "I hope we can get some heat back soon," she murmured. "These walls are like paper..." 

"We ought to move to the bedroom," Jed said. "It's closer to the interior of the building -- maybe it'll retain a bit more heat." 

"I don't think I can make it in there," Abbey murmured. "I'm too cold." She gasped when Jed untucked himself from the blankets, hoisted her up in his arms, pounds and pounds of blankets included, and carried her into the bedroom, gently lying her on the bed. He climbed in beneath the covers with her and gently kissed her lips. 

"Is that better?" he asked. 

"Mm... a little," she replied, kissing him back. It felt so good to be with him, so right to be with him. "Jed... I really do want to wait until marriage, but... if... if we can't get the heat on soon... what I want doesn't matter," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and drawing warmth from him. 

"Abbey, we aren't going to do anything that you are not ready for, heat or no heat." He kissed the top of her head. They lay in silence, listening to the sound of the wind howling outside. Abbey snuggled up deeper into his arms and they drifted off to sleep. 

Abbey awoke an hour later and sat straight up in bed, calling Jed's name. "Abbey, what's wrong? I'm right here," he said sitting up next to her and taking her into his arms again. Abbey could hardly breathe, let alone speak. She just buried her face into his neck and sobbed. He eased them both back down onto the bed and held her tight. 

After a good 5 minutes she found her voice. "It was that dream again... you're in the hospital, I think you've been shot. At least, I think it's you. The man has your name and face but he's much older... And there's another man there too, he's standing next to your bed. Oh, my God, I know who it is now. It's Leo." 

"Shh, sweetie," Jed murmured. "Is it any comfort for you to know that there is no one that I know who would want to shoot me?" 

"No," she sniffled. "Because I know your mother will want to shoot you when she finds out we're getting married. And *my* mother will want to shoot us both. And... I don't want to talk about it anymore!" she exclaimed, pushing him away and getting up out of the warm bed, getting out into the cold air. With a shiver, she moved into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and frowned at her pale skin and dark-circled eyes. Weeks of not sleeping well had already taken their toll, and she was just so tired of it. Just one night, she wanted uninterrupted sleep. 

"Abbey, are you okay?" Jed asked on the other side of the door. 

"I'm fine," she murmured opening the door and stepping out into his arms. "I look at you and see the future, Jed. *Our* future. And I see this dream almost every night, now. I'm scared for us, for the future us," she confessed on a whisper, lying her head on his shoulder. 

"It'll be okay," he murmured, holding her tightly. "We'll be fine," he promised. "Come back to bed, Abbey," he requested gently. 

"I'm not tired now..." she sighed. "I feel kind of sick, actually." 

"Okay," he nodded. "But the bed is the warmest place." 

She stared at him for a long time, then finally nodded and let him tuck her in under the covers. He slid under them, as well, and gathered her in his arms. "I love you," she whispered, kissing him. 

"I love you, too," he replied, kissing back. He pulled back and watched her intently, reaching up to smooth her long hair back out of her eyes. "You are everything I could ever want, and more," he murmured, drawing her close for another kiss. 

"Jed..." she said quietly, putting her hand up between them. "We have to talk about this." 

"Now? Why do we have to talk now? That's not what I had in mind." He leaned over to kiss her again but she pulled away. 

"I know what you had in mind and that's why we need to talk. Jed, supposedly we were both raised as good Catholics. You know what that means. For God's sake Jed, 2 weeks ago you wanted to be a priest!" cried Abbey as she moved to the other side of the bed. 

"And I am eternally grateful I met you. I would have made a terrible mistake if I had continued on with my studies. The priesthood just wasn't for me. My family pushed me into it. The decision wasn't totally mine. I know now I wouldn't have made a good priest. It's not just the celibacy, although that does play a big part. I just didn't having the "calling" my classmates had. Most of them have known they were destined for the priesthood since they were kids -- not me. I am glad I dropped out now; leaving the priesthood would have been much more complicated." 

Jed reached out to Abbey and tried to pull her close. She hesitated and then snuggled up to him again. "Abbey, I know how you feel about this. I really do. I'm not saying I would be against us waiting but I'm also not going to lie and say the idea thrills me. We don't have to decide tonight. We can see what happens. We'll go slow. The last thing in the world I want to do it to hurt you." 

Abbey looked up at Jed with tears in her eyes. "Josiah Bartlet, I love you so much it hurts. I've never felt this way before and it scares me -- in fact, it's terrifying. Thank you for being so understanding." 

"You're welcome," said Jed, reaching up to caress her cheek. "What's next?" 

"Just hold me, please" said Abbey with a big sigh. Jed was more than happy to do just that. 

The next morning, they found that the snow had only gotten worse. *However*, as they soon discovered, the power was still on, the heater was finally working, and the water hadn't frozen off completely, so they had some running water. 

Abbey pulled a skillet out of the cabinet, marveling at how bare the cupboards were compared to her grandmother's -- hell, even her mother's! -- kitchen, and made scrambled eggs. Jed took a quick shower and came into the kitchen. 

"Hey gorgeous," he murmured, kissing her. "Will you make me breakfast every morning?" he asked, eating the eggs quickly. 

"Like hell!" Abbey giggled. "I'm still three years behind you in school, Jed, remember?" 

"Yeah, I know." 

"But I'll do it as often as I can. I promise," she said with a little smile. "I want to see if the phone lines are still down." She picked up the telephone receiver and asked the operator to connect her to her grandmother. "Hi, Nana? Yeah, we're not going to make it back tomorrow, after all. No, we're fine... well, Jed did trip on his way down the aisle after the wedding, but we're stuck in a blizzard, and the buses aren't running. Yeah... okay, kiss them for me, and apologize for me. Oh, and tell Mom that Jed and I are getting married. No, I'm not joking. Nana, don't fake a heart attack -- you knew it was coming! Yeah... no! No, Nana... NO! YOU'RE NOT!! You are? Ohmigod!! Congratulations! Yeah... of course I'll call when we're getting ready to leave... Tell him I said hi, Grandpa! Bye!" 

"What was that about?" Jed asked. 

"David asked Nana to marry him," Abbey said with a smile. GW University Hospital 

Wednesday, 6:30 

With Zoey leading the way, Anne McCall Hamilton and her husband David, stopped in the doorway to Jed's room. Jed had been sleeping peacefully for the past few hours. After talking and reminiscing for most of the night, Abbey and Leo had also fallen fast asleep -- Abbey with her head on the bed, her hands tightly holding Jed's right hand, and Leo slumped over in the chair. Zoey motioned Anne and David in the room. 

Still quite spry, Anne could easy pass for twenty years younger than the age of 93. Her husband was somewhat slower physically, using a cane to get around, but mentally they were both still quick as a whip. Having spent the better part of 12 hours traveling from their home in Indiana, Anne decided if she couldn't sleep, neither could her granddaughter. She walked over to where Abbey was sleeping and whacked her, not so gently, with her purse. 

"Abigail Lynellen McCall Bartlet, wake up!" 

"What the...?" Abbey sat straight up in the chair, trying to focus on the source of both the pain in her ear and the sound of her name. "Nana, what are you doing here...? No, wait this must be a dream. Now is not the time to start having strange dreams, Abigail." 

"Abigail, this is not a dream, this is your grandmother, the one who had to hear about your husband's condition from your daughter." 

By now Leo had woken up, completely unable to comprehend what was going on. He just sat up in the chair, running his hands over his eyes in an attempt to focus. He looked at Anne for a moment and then a flash of recognition passed over his face. Anne leaned over to him and kissed his cheek, "Leo McGarry, still cute as ever." Leo stood to embrace her and return the kiss. He shook hands with David. Zoey caught his eye and nodded her head towards the door. 

"Uncle Leo, let's take Pop-Pop to the cafeteria for some coffee. I think we could all use some. And I know I want to get out of her before those two start, arguin... I mean, talking." She smiled at her mother and great-grandmother as she left the room. 

"Smart girl you have there, Abbey. Now tell me what happened. Zoey called me while Jed was in surgery but I haven't heard from you at all. How is he? He looks pretty pale." Anne moved her chair closer to the head of the bed, smoothed back Jed's hair with her left hand and put her right arm around Abbey's shoulders. 

"The surgery went well. It was basically a flesh wound. There was no organ damage and they were able to assess the area with a laparoscope. But he's had some trouble keeping his vitals stable over the past 8 hours. He's been running a fever and his blood pressure and O2 levels have been low. He kind of wigged out over using the oxygen mask so I had to give him a sedative early this morning. Leo's been here all night with me. I don't know what I would have done without him..." Abbey slumped back in her chair and ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. 

"What aren't you telling me, dear?" asked Anne as a nurse came in to check Jed's vitals signs and hang a new IV bag. Anne stood and reached for Abbey's hand so she could walk her out to the hall for a minute. 

"What did you do that for? I wanted to stay while the nurse was examining him!" Abbey complained, rather loudly. 

"Abigail, still down and listen to me. That's your husband in there. It's time for you to just be the wife, not the doctor. You can't do both. Let the nurses and doctors do their job. Don't hover over them. They are probably nervous enough having to take care of the President of the United States." Anne took Abbey's hand and held it. 

"You're right," said Abbey in a tone that was less than convincing. She just stared at the door to her husband's room. 

"Abbey what aren't you telling me? Is it the MS?" 

"No, at least not yet. I did have to tell the anesthesiologist about it but no one else was told. The longer Jed is running a fever the more likely it is that he will suffer a relapse. The fever plus the stress of both the shooting and the surgery all make it very possible that a relapse is on the horizon. If that happens I don't think we will be able to keep quiet. It's getting too hard as it is, even without all that has happened in the past 2 days." Abbey struggled to keep the tears from falling but was not successful. Anne took a handkerchief out of her pocket and handed it to her. The nurse motioned for Abbey to come. 

"How are his vitals?" asked Abbey as she picked up the chart that was on the table. She scanned them before the nurse had a chance to answer. Temp 100, BP 100/70, O2 was up to 99 with the mask. 

"He's waking up and asking for you, ma'am," said the nurse, motioning towards the bed. 

"Thank you." Abbey walked over to the bed and turned up the light over Jed's head. "Hi, sweetie. Feeling any better?" She raised the head of the bed a little and removed the O2 mask. 

"A little better... what the hell happened? I remember you and Leo coming in and then the doctor came in. After that things are a little fuzzy." Jed pointed towards the water pitcher on the bedside table and Abbey poured him a glass. He drank the water and then settled back down on the pillows. 

"You gave us a little scare. You BP and O2 levels wouldn't stay up where they were supposed to, your temp was up over where it was supposed to be and you almost did your famous hyperventilating trick. I gave you a sedative and Leo managed to calm you down." 

"Fever? How high?" asked Jed, his voice starting to register a hint of panic. 

"101.5, but it's down to 100 now. Dr. Keller thinks it is an infection of some kind. He put you on antibiotics, you should be fine. And no, I didn't tell him. You have to calm down. More stress is only going to complicate things." 

Abbey glanced over at the pulse ox monitor, 95. "Honey, let me put the oxygen back on, your levels dropped a little." 

"Not the mask, please," begged Jed with growing fear in his eyes. 

"I'll use the nasal prongs... what is with you and the oxygen mask, honey?" inquired Abbey as she adjusted the oxygen tubing over Jed's ears. 

"It makes me feel claustrophobic or something like that." 

"Okay, that's fine, as long as the level stays above 96 you don't have to use it, deal?" Abbey winked at her husband. She glanced over the bed and saw Anne in the doorway. 

"Honey, there's someone her to see you." She motioned to the door. 

Jed turned around to see one of his favorite people in the world coming over to him. "Anne," he whispered as tears started to form. With tears in her own eyes, Anne leaned over to kiss him on the forehead. 

"Josiah, you're such a klutz! Couldn't you have tripped and fallen out of the way of the bullet?" Anne teased him. 

"I tried to," Jed laughed, ignoring the pain it caused him. "What are you doing here? Where's David?" 

"Where else would I be? When Zoey called me, I just had to come. David is in the cafeteria with Zoey and Leo," answered Anne, sitting down next to him and taking his hands. Abbey left them alone to talk and went to find Dr. Keller. 

"But Anne, it must have been such a long trip, especially for some one your..." Jed stopped in mid sentence, not wanting to subject himself to a whack upside the head. 

"Someone my age? Josiah, I'll have you know I am in better shape than you at the moment," Anne teased. 

"True, but what about David?" asked Jed as he struggled to sit up more. 

"The trip was hard on him but he insisted on making it. He's very stubborn, like someone else I know and love," Anne said with a twinkle in her eye. 

"Thanks for coming. I know Abbey appreciates it, even if she didn't show it. Speaking of Abbey, is she okay? I'm worried about her. I don't think she's slept much and I know she keeps harassing the doctors and nurses," said Jed, reaching for the water glass on the table. 

"I tried to talk to her, get her to just be the wife and not the doctor. I don't know if it worked. David and I are going to head over to the White House in a while to rest. I'll try and take her back with me. Just worry about yourself, I'll take care of Abbey. Can I get you anything?" asked Anne as she pulled the blankets back up over Jed. 

"Something to eat would be great but I'm not sure what the doctor would say about that. I'll probably get a tray filled with mushy, soft food any minute..." At the very mention of food, Ron opened the door to let the lady from dietary services in with the breakfast tray. 

"Anne, you look, I don't want to know what is under there" said Jed, bracing himself for a tray of jello and ginger ale. 

"Red jello, broth, toast and ginger ale," said Anne with more than a hint of a smile. 

"Gross! You'd think the President of the United States would get something decent to eat!" And with those words, Abbey returned to her husband's room, shaking her head, trying not to laugh. 

"Nana, David's waiting for you downstairs. Let me just talk to Jed for a minute and I will walk you out." Abbey reached for the ear thermometer. So much for just being the wife, thought both Anne and Jed. She took out the thermometer and frowned at the number. 

"Still 100. Eat your breakfast please," replied Abbey in complete doctor mode. 

"Abigail, I want you to go home, get some sleep, visit with Anne and David. Take Leo with you. You're both exhausted. And so am I. I'll just eat this crap... I mean, lovely breakfast, and go back to sleep myself. Besides, I think you and Leo have a story to finish," he said smiling. 

"Obviously that sedative wasn't as strong as I thought. How much did you hear?" 

"Not much actually, I kind of drifted in and out. You seemed to be giving a pretty good version of the facts. Didn't make me out to be a jerk or anything." Jed tried to laugh but ended up coughing, causing a considerable amount of pain to wrack his body. 

"Honey, take it easy OK? Try to eat something and then get some rest. I'll be back later. I love you..." Abbey said, adjusting the O2 tubing and caressing his cheek. 

"I love you too," said Jed, picking up the spoon and contemplating the jello. Abbey gathered her things and left, waving as she got to the door. Jed stuck the spoon in the jello and pushed the tray away. He lowered the head of the bed back down and curled up under the covers suddenly overcome with the urge to sleep. 

Anne held up Abbey's duster jacket and helped her into it. "We're going back to the White House to rest," Anne said firmly, her voice booking no arguement. "Get your detail, and we're going." 

"Okay," Abbey said quietly, finally content to let someone else take the lead. "You and David coming in the car?" 

"The Suburban, dear." Abbey shot her a Look, and Anne shrugged. "Your detail was getting ever so slightly worried, and asked me to intervene." 

"All fired," Abbey muttered. "I'll have someone fire them all." 

"You need some rest, sweetie," Anne said soothingly, leading Abbey along down the hall. "And so does Leo." 

Abbey finally just nodded as her detail, and Leo, joined the procession out the door to the First Lady's mini-motorcade. Leo, Abbey, and two agents climbed into the Lincoln, and David, Anne, Zoey, and the rest of the agents, climbed into the Suburban. Abbey and Leo fastened their seatbelts and reached for each others' hands, holding on, as though they were each a lifeline. 

"How's he doing?" Leo asked quietly. 

"He's doing," she replied. "We have to play it by ear." 

He nodded. "How about some more story?" he wheedled with a small smile. 

"Sure," she murmured with a chuckle. "Where did we leave off?" 

"Anne had just told you over *my* phone line that she was getting married to David," he replied automatically. "And to think I was wondering what that charge was on the bill...." 

"Sorry," she shrugged, opening her purse and pulling out a $20 bill. "Will this cover it?" she teased. 

"Hey, come on... tell some story!" 

"Well, when we got back...." 

South Bend, Indiana  
May 1967 

"You're sixty-one years old, Nana! And David's sixty-six! Aren't you just a tiny bit worried that one of you will have a heart attack as you hop down the aisle?" Abbey giggled, ignoring the slap on the arm her grandmother gave her. 

"Who said anything about hopping?" Anne shot back, buttering her toast and giving her granddaughter a Look, with her eyebrow raised. "We were thinking about having you and Jed push us up the aisle in wheelchairs. And, as for us being 'old', we're going to outlive you and be harassing our great-great-grandchildren!" 

"I'm counting on that. So when is the wedding?" asked Abbey as she reached for the orange juice. 

"Soon... we're not getting any younger, you know. Besides, the quicker the wedding, the quicker the wedding night," Anne laughed. 

"NANA!" Abbey cried out as she choked on her juice. 

"Abigail, we are old, not dead. What about you and Jed?" inquired Anne with just a hint of a smile. 

"I can't believe you asked me that! No, wait I take that back... I don't believe I'm going to actually answer that. We haven't made a decision yet. Things are harder than I imagined they would be. Did you and Pop wait?" Abbey rose to take her glass and plate to the sink. 

"Yes, we did. But I know things were different back then. You and Jed have to decide what is best for the two of you. I can't make that decision for you." Anne reached out to take Abbey's hand. 

"Enough about Jed and I. Let's go on the porch and swing. You can tell me your plans." Abbey grabbed two cups of coffee and lead her grandmother out to the porch. The warm spring sun was beautiful. They sat down and started to swing. 

"Well, we've already talked to Father Doniphan, and the wedding's in three weeks' time," Anne said with a smile. "Of course, I want you and Marie to be my bridesmaids, and David wants Jed to be his best man. God only knows why \-- he'll probably lose the ring!" 

"Nana, what a terrible thing to say!" Abbey giggled. 

"Terrible, but true," Anne replied with a wide grin. "So, have you two talked about when you'll get married?" 

"No." 

"Ah... well... David and I have already talked about what we're going to give you for your wedding present. It's a practical gift." 

"What?" 

"Well... we want you to live here, with us, for as long as you need or want to to finish your studies and what not... do you like that idea?" 

"I like it, but I don't know if Jed will," Abbey said hesitantly. 

"Ask him. If he doesn't, we'll buy you a toaster," Anne teased. "Oh, dear, it looks like you have company..." 

Abbey glanced out past the picket fence and could barely reign in her dismay as Ron Erlich opened the gate and started towards the house. "Oh, Nana, what am I...?" She turned to look at her grandmother, who was getting up and heading for the front door. "NANA!" 

"Don't make me fight your battles," Anne hissed. "Hello, Ron!" she called with a smile, waving. 

Ron waved back and motioned for Abbey to move over on the swing. "Hello, Abbey. Nice to see you." Ron sat down just a little to close to Abbey. 

"Ron, I'm sure you weren't just passing by. What do you want?" sighed Abbey, trying to move over without being totally obvious. 

"I heard you're engaged. To that guy from outside the restaurant... he's quite the nerd from what I hear," said Ron. 

"Yes, Jed and I are engaged and he's not some nerd. He's a great guy. What \-- have you been asking around campus about him? That's pretty sick!" Abbey stood up and leaned against the porch rail. 

"It wasn't like that. So where's the ring?" asked Ron. 

"God, you're nosy! I didn't get one, yet," said Abbey, trying to hide her annoyance at the whole conversation. "Did you want something else, because if not, I'm going inside." 

"I just wanted to make sure he was... you know... what you wanted out of life. Is he?" asked Ron, already knowing what the answer would be. 

"Yes, he is," she said quietly, not wanting to look him in the eye. 

"Okay, then I'll go. Take care. I guess, maybe I'll see you around." Ron stood up, walked over to Abbey, kissed her cheek and left. 

Abbey sat back on the swing and looked at her left hand. She couldn't wait to wear Jed's ring. 

She couldn't wait to be his wife. She couldn't wait to be able to hold him, kiss him, love him without feeling embarrassed by their feelings for one another being so displayed in public. Wait -- where did that come from? she wondered, rubbing her finger, where his ring should sit. 

She went inside and picked up the phone, dialing for Jed's new dorm room. The phone rang six times before he picked up, saying, "Yeah, what? I'm trying to study!" 

"Well, if you're gonna be that way, I'll just hang up," Abbey smarted back. 

"I'm sorry, Abbey... I've had so many people calling this afternoon... my parents, my professors, friends, you name it, I've gotten a call from it," he sighed. 

"It's okay," she replied with a smile. "You busy for dinner?" 

"I can pencil it in, I think," he teased. "When?" 

"Usual time," she answered. "Nana and David are going out, so we'll have some time alone..." 

"Abbey, what's wrong?" Jed asked gently. "I know something's up." 

"Ron came by earlier," Abbey confessed, biting her lip. "He... I'm... upset. I'm just upset... I'll be okay." 

"Give me twenty minutes and I'll be there," he said, hanging up. 

Abbey sighed and hung up the reciever. Anne came up to her and said, "How did your talk with Ron go?" 

"I don't want to talk about it," Abbey mumbled, breaking for the stairs. Did everyone think like Ron did? Did they think she was too good for a "nerd" like Jed? Did she even care? 

Her mind ran in frantic circles until a soft knock on her door brought reality slamming back into her. "Come in," she croaked, trying not to cry. 

Jed opened the door and stepped in, closing the door behind him. "Whatever he said, it isn't worth being upset about," he said quietly. 

"He called you a nerd. And he wanted to know why I didn't have a ring... Jed, what must people think of us?" she asked tearfully. 

"I don't care what they think of us, Abigail. We love each other, and that's all we need, isn't it?" he asked, his eyes searching her face. 

"Yes," she whispered, standing up and moving into his embrace. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heart beating. "Jed... I..." She pulled back and looked up at him. "I want... Oh this isn't easy..." 

"Shh..." he whispered, putting a finger on her lips to silence her. 

"Jed, I don't want to wait any more," she murmured, kissing his fingertip. 

Jed just stared at Abbey, not knowing quite what to think. Was she really ready for what he thought she was talking about? Or was he completely wrong? He stood there holding her for a long time, trying to decide where they were headed -- the bed or the jewelers. 

"Uh, Abbey...I don't quite know how to ask this... but here goes... Do you want to not wait for a ring or something...uh... more recreational." 

Abbey withdrew from his embrace, clamped her hand over her mouth and threw herself on the bed. Oh, God she thought, I was talking about a ring, a symbol of his promise to me. Now what have I done, he probably thinks we're about to have sex, right here in my grandmother's house! She just lay there, face down, not wanting to roll over and look him in the eye. 

Jed sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Abbey's back for a moment. Since she wasn't exactly pulling him down on the bed, he was pretty sure he had his answer. "Abbey, I'm sorry, I guess you were talking about the ring. I really want to get you something nice but I just can't afford it now. But if it means that much to you we can pick something small out now and later, after I've graduated I'll get you what you really deserve. Now, please roll over and look at me." 

Abbey rolled over slowly, wiping the tears away from her face. "I don't think I have ever been so embarrassed in my entire life, can you ever forgive me? I feel like such an idiot. Here I am, literally, engaged to the man of my dreams and all I am worried about is what other people think. You must think I'm pretty shallow..." 

"No, Abbey, not at all. Does all of this have to do with seeing Ron this afternoon?" asked Jed as he lay down on the bed next to Abbey. 

"Yeah, he said some things that weren't very nice and I suppose he did it just to annoy me. He called you a nerd and wanted to know about the ring. Apparently he's been asking people around campus about you," said Abbey. 

"Abbey, take a good look at me. I am a nerd and a klutz, and that's what makes me the charming, adorable guy you fell in love with," Jed said with a laugh as Abbey hit him over the head with the pillow. "Come on, I'm starving, let's go down and get something to eat." 

"Josiah Thomas Bartlet, I love you and I'm sorry," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

"I love you too," said Jed, returning the hug. 

Almost a week passed before they could get together again, because of exams. But, immediately after finals week, Jed was back on the doorstep. 

"Hey," Abbey said with a smile. "C'mon in. What've you got there?" she asked, espying something in his hand. 

"This," he replied, hoilding up a small jewelry box, "is for you." He opened the box and pulled out a delicate silver and rose quartz ring, which he slipped onto her finger. "Will this do, sweetie?" 

She bit her lip and stared at her hand, fighting back tears. She finally managed to nod as she moved into his arms. "Yes, Jed... it's beautiful," she whispered, hugging him. 

"My grandmother sent it by courier... if you don't like it, I can send it back..." he said quietly. 

"I love it," she replied, kissing him lovingly. "Jed... when are we going to get married?" she asked quietly. 

"Tomorrow," he replied jokingly. She slapped him on the arm, and he amended, "Whenever you're ready, sweetie." 

"Tomorrow, then," she murmured with a smile. He almost slapped her back -- until he relized she was being serious. 

"Tomorrow?" 

"It'll be Sunday -- and you know the Church always keeps special certification on hand for Sunday weddings without the banns..." 

"What will Anne say?" 

" 'Good for you!', I would presume," Abbey teased. "Think about it, Jed -- tomorrow night, we can be spending our first night together as husband and wife..." 

"Where? Not in my dorm!" 

"Here, Jed. Nana and David want us to stay here as long as we need to, or want to," Abbey said earnestly. "Jed, please don't be prideful..." 

Jed just stood there contemplatively for the longest time, then asked, "Can I tell my mother that we just eloped? She'll be completely wigging out anyway, since I have yet to tell her about the 'I'm not going to be a priest' thing..." 

"I don't care what you tell her, so long as we're getting married tomorrow," she declared firmly, kissing him again. 

"Let's go talk to Father Doniphan," Jed replied with a chuckle. 

Abbey giggled and cried, "Nana, Jed and I are gonna go talk with Father Doniphan!" 

"Oh? So you two have *finally* decided when you're getting married?" Anne shouted back from the kitchen. 

"Yes -- tomorrow!" They made a break for the door before Anne had a snowball's chance in hell of catching up. 

The next day dawned clear and bright. The slight nervousness Jed felt upon awakening was replaced by genuine fear as he stood at the altar, waiting for Abbey. His mind was a tangle of thoughts -- are we moving too fast? Should I have told my mother first? How in the world did Leo make it down here in that POS car of his? Why is Abbey late? Thank God I didn't trip coming in... 

The music started and everyone rose. Everyone didn't exactly encompass many people. Anne was there standing up for Abbey, Leo was there next to Jed, Jenny was in the second row. David was in the back waiting to walk Abbey down the aisle. There were a few scattered friends and Jed's former "priestly" classmates sitting in the pews. 

The doors in the back opened and in walked Abbey on David's arm. Jed smiled as she came up the aisle. When she reached him, he took her by the hand and they turned to face Father Doniphan. "Brothers and Sisters in Christ we are gathered here in the name of God to join these two people in holy matrimony..." 

The vows went off without a hitch. But the part with the ring... that wasn't so easy. Finding a ring in downtown South Bend at 4:00 the previous afternoon had proved to be a challenge, but they did end up with something. Father Doniphan held out his hand for the ring. David handed it to Jed, who promptly dropped it. He felt his face quickly turn a bright shade of red as he knelt down to pick it up. Abbey caught his eye as he stood up and, with a smile on her face, mouthed the word "klutz". Jed caught himself before he burst out laughing at the altar. 

"You may kiss the bride," Father Doniphan finally declared. Jed looked deep into his bride's eyes, seeing nothing but love and devotion reflected there, and leaned down to kiss her gently. 

"I love you," he said quietly. 

"I love you, too," Abbey murmured, smiling against his lips. "Let's go home." 

They had a quiet reception at Anne's. She had baked a large sheetcake the night before and had enlisted her granddaughter's help in preparing the food for the small gathering of people. By 4 o'clock, most everyone but Leo and Jenny had left. "You'll stay in one of the guest rooms for as long as you're here," Anne stated firmly, taking them upstairs to get them settled in. 

Abbey and Jed went into the living room and Abbey picked up the phone, dialing her mother. "Hi, mom? I wanted to let you know that Jed and I got married today. Oh, would you stop that?! You're not going to have a heart attack, okay? Why didn't we tell you? Because we knew you'd freak out. Yeah. Okay... yes, we'll come visit sometime, I promise. Love you, bye." She hung up and looked at Jed. "Your turn." 

He took a deep breath as he dialed his parents' farm line. "Hi, John? Can I talk to mom or dad, please?" There was a long pause, then he said, "Hi, mom. Yes, it's me... school's great. Yeah. Um... well, we've gotta talk about that. Y'see... I decided not to be a priest, after all. Mom, close your mouth before you swallow a fly or something, please. Yes, I met someone." He reached for Abbey's hand. "Yes, mother, I know how horribly this wounds you, but I don't care anymore, because it's my life, and if I want to give up the pre-priesthood to marry the girl of my dreams... Yes, I said marry. Oh, didn't I mention that? Abbey and I got married today. Mom? Mom, stop choking. Of *course* she's 'worthy of the name Bartlet'! Mother, you know her. You're in quilting circle with her mother! Yes, I'm talking about Abigail McCall. What?" He looked totally relieved. "Yes, we'll come visit as soon as we can, I promise. I love you, too. Bye." 

Abbey was biting her lower lip tensely. "And the verdict is...?" 

"You're okay," he grinned, kissing her. 

"Oh, thank God!" she exclaimed, giggling. Leo came into the room, and she said, "Leo, our mothers didn't totally wig out!" 

"Told ya so," Leo replied with a smirk, sitting down. 

"Jenny taking a nap?" Jed asked. 

"Yeah... she's been really tired, and the doctor says sleep's good for her, what with the baby and everything," he replied with a grin. 

"A baby? You guys are having a baby?" Jed exclaimed, moving to hug his best friend. "Congratulations!" 

"Congratulations," Abbey said with a smile. 

"So, when are you two gonna..." 

"Don't even start, Leo," Abbey said, holding a hand up in the air. "It's bad enough I was so nervous at the altar that I nearly became as klutzy as Jed... I don't need grief about sex, too." 

"I was going to ask when you were gonna come up and visit us again, but... I wanna hear all about your sex life," he grinned. 

"What sex life?" Jed shot back with a laugh. 

"JED!" Abbey squealed, whacking him with a cushion. "That's just MEAN!" 

"But true." 

"But true," she admitted grudgingly. 

"Not for much longer, though. Right?" 

"Right." She nibbled on her thumbnail nervously. 

"Look, do you guys wanna be alone?" Leo asked. 

"No!" they replied in unison. 

"Uh-huh," he replied with a wink, getting up and leaving the room. 

"Do you want to go upstairs?" Jed asked. 

She swallowed, hard, and shook her head. "Not yet." 

"Okay." He shifted to take her into his arms and cuddle her. "Love you." 

"Love you, too." 

Jed made himself comfortable on Abbey's full-sized bed, and waited for her to come back from the bathroom. The door opened slowly and quietly, and she stepped in, her hair pulled back in a thick braid that fell past her waist, wearing a satin robe. She was biting her lip in her usual endearing nervous fashion, and she looked like she was about to start shaking. "Hi," she managed to say. 

"Hey, gorgeous," he murmured, patting the bed. "We don't have to do anything you're not ready for," he promised gently as she undid the sash of her robe and slid it off her shoulders, revealing a silk nightgown. 

"I'm ready," she said firmly. "I'm ready," she repeated more quietly to herself, to assuage her nerves. Abbey climbed onto the bed and looked into his eyes. "Tell me what to do," she said. 

"Let me touch you," he whispered, drawing her lips to his for a deep, passionate kiss. "I love you so much," he murmured, kissing her again. Hesitantly, she kissed back, feeling the fire begin to burn within her again... 

Their first time together was an intricate dance, playing off one another, learning the feel, taste, reactions, of the other... Jed discovered how sensitive the back of his wife's knees were, and she discovered how much he just liked being touched. 

There was a little pain, Abbey discovered soon enough, but she knew it would be gone quickly, and wrote it off. They joined with the feverency of young lovers, but with the soul-stirring intensity of those who were meant to be one. They rode the crests of passion higher and higher until their world shattered, sending them back to reality. 

"Oh, God, Jed..." she whispered, kissing him as he lay beside her. 

"Shh..." he murmured, holding her close. "Rest." She nestled against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, and quickly fell asleep. 

She awoke later, on the heels of another dream about him having been shot, and held him tighter, scared to let him go. 

Jed woke up to the feeling of someone holding on to him for dear life. "Abbey what's wrong? Another dream?" He propped the pillows up and sat up, holding her shaking body. 

"Yeah, the one where you are shot." She snuggled deeper into his embrace. 

"Do you remember any more than last time -- me getting shot, Leo and the young woman with tears in her eyes? Just relax and try to think." 

"I don't know if I can remember anymore about it. I remember the hospital room, the young woman and Leo. Wait... there were people in a small room, comforting each other and comforting me. Nobody said much, they just sat around waiting for information. But not about you, about someone else. I don't know who." 

"Someone else who was shot, maybe. Do you remember the actual shooting?" Abbey shook her head no. 

"Anything else? How old am I in the dream? You said I was older," said Jed, trying to make sense of any of the dream. 

"I don't know, late fifties maybe." She shrugged her shoulders. "You look pretty good though, except for the being shot part," she teased. 

"What about Leo, is Jenny there?" Jed asked trying to jog her memory. 

"Jenny doesn't seem to be there. Leo still looks cute... although he has considerably less hair than you." 

"Ha, I told him he was starting to lose his hair already!" Jed said. "Anything else?" 

"I remember leaving the hospital in a black car and going to a huge white house. With columns. Our house, I think. Guess we struck it rich somewhere along the line," she said as she smiled up at Jed. 

"Someday, honey, I promise you a big white house with columns. Just be patient," he said caressing her cheek. 

"I know, sorry my dreams had to ruin our wedding night," she said with tears in her eyes as she sat up. 

"Abigail, think back to a few short hours ago. It was absolutely beautiful. You didn't ruin anything with your dreams other than an uninterrupted night's sleep. And I haven't had one of those in months so I'm used to it," Jed said, pulling her back down on the bed next to him. 

"It's just that I love you so much and I want everything to be perfect..." 

"Abbey, I love you too, but I can promise that things will be less than perfect, probably for the rest of our lives. Mostly due to my clumsiness, I'm sure. So let's just take things one day at a time." Abbey sat up and laughed. 

"Okay, and who knows -- maybe you will outgrow some of that clumsiness. Even if you are already 23 years old!" she said teasing him. 

Jed grabbed the pillow and whacked her in the head, starting a post-nuptial pillow fight that ended up with the two of them under the quilt, sound asleep, their bare limbs entwined. 

White House  
1999 

Abbey left the Presidential bedroom and walked into the den, carrying her blankets along with her. She just wanted to sit down and relax. Leo had gone home already, and everyone else was asleep in their beds. But not her. She could never sleep when Jed was sick or in the hospital. Never had been able to. 

She sat down on the couch and wrapped herself up in the blankets, nodding at her Secret Service agent as she turned on the television and started flipping through the 650 stations they pulled off the satellite. Most of the news stations were still featuring coverage of the Rosslyn shooting -- and those were the stations she avoided like the plague. She finally settled on something -- she didn't know what -- and let the TV drone on and on... 

Her thoughts were spinning out of control. Was Jed going to be okay or was this minor infection going to set off another relapse of his MS? How was he going to be, emotionally, after his release from the hospital? He was already showing signs of emotional strain... Was he going to have a breakdown like he did when he was Governor? She buried her face in the blankets as she pulled her knees up to meet her forehead. The tears came hard and fast, drowning out her common sense and any other emotions that might have been trying to surface. 

When the tears were gone, she fell into a fitful sleep on the couch. When dawn broke, she was still too tired to even sit up. She just lay there, thinking. A knock on the door jerked her back to earth. Her agent poked his head into the doorway. "Ma'am, Mr. McGarry is here." Abbey motioned for him to let Leo in. She quicky sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. 

"Morning, Abs, sleep at all?" said Leo as he handed her a cup of coffee and sat down next to her. 

"A few hours... I think. The bedroom was too empty so I came over here. I tried to watch TV, but Jed's face was all over the news. You'd think with this satellite I could have found something to watch... How about you -- did you get any sleep?" asked Abbey. 

"Not really. I almost went over to the hospital, but I figured Jed needs his sleep, too, so I did a crossword puzzle and tried to do some work. That didn't go too well. Couldn't concentrate worth a damn." Leo sighed, leaned back into the couch, kicked off his shoes and put his feet up on the coffee table. 

"I guess I'll get showered and go over to the hospital in a while, see how his night went. Dr. Keller should have some more blood test results back. We should know if the antibiotics are working or not. I hope his temperature has been staying down... The longer he runs a fever, the more likely he is to relapse. I don't even want to think about that," said Abbey as she got off the couch and paced around the room, chewing on her thumbnail. 

"Has he considered going public with his condition? It might be easier all around," said Leo, even though he already knew the answer. 

"He won't even discuss it," replied Abbey with more than a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I'm going to get ready to go to the hospital -- why don't you sit for a minute, drink your coffee, read the paper. You look like you could use a few minutes of down time." 

"Thanks, I think I will," said Leo as he reached for the paper. 

When Abbey was dressed and ready to face the day ahead, she returned to the den to see if Leo was going over to the West Wing or if he wanted to ride over to the hospital with her. One look into the den and she had her answer. Leo was sound asleep on the couch, glasses on and the newspaper across his chest. She took off his glasses, covered him up with her blankets and kissed his cheek. She told the agents to let him sleep and to call Margaret and let her know where he was. 

With her ever-present detail close behind, Abbey climbed into the Suburban for the ride over to the hospital. She had thought about seeing if Anne and David wanted to come with her, but she really wanted to spend some time alone with Jed. They could come over later with Zoey. 

Jed was still sleeping when she arrived. She threw her coat over the chair and grabbed his chart. The entries for his vital signs over the past 8 hours were a mix of good and bad. His blood pressure had risen to and stayed at a normal reading. O2 level was fine while on nasal oxygen, but was still dropping on room air. Temperature was still hovering around 100. The results from the blood tests showed the antibiotics were working, slowly. She checked the IV and adjusted the O2 tubing. She lifted back the covers a bit to check on the surgical site. Clean and dry. She took his temperature, 99.8. Satisfied that all was as well as could be expected, she turned off the doctor mode. 

She put the chart back down and pulled up a stool next to the bed. Jed was still pretty pale, but sleeping peacefully. She held his hand and stroked his hair while lifting up a silent prayer to who ever might be listening. He started to stir and with what seemed like a great effort, opened his eyes and tried to focus on Abbey. 

"Hi, sweetie, it's me," Abbey whispered. "How are you feeling?" 

"Better, can I have some water?" croaked Jed. 

Abbey held the glass for him and he drank the water. He raised the head of the bed and sat up. 

"Your vitals seem to have stabilized a bit. Blood pressure is up to normal. Temp's still a little elevated but Dr. Keller and I think the anitbiotics are working. Hopefully, you will be out of here soon." She noticed Jed wasn't really paying any attention to her. He looked to be a million miles away. "Honey, what's wrong? Talk to me, please." 

Jed just looked at her and sighed, "I don't know, it's everything I guess. I'm worried about having a relapse, about Josh, about you, about how I'm going to handle everything that life has decided to throw at me in the last few days. It's like I'm running on empty and it's still 20 miles to the gas station. I feel like my life is spinning out of control and I forgot to take some Dramamine." 

"I know the feeling. But for now, you have to do what is best for you and your recovery. You're not going to do the nation any good if you don't give yourself time to heal. I know you're probably getting restless in this bed. Why don't I round up a wheelchair and you can go for a spin, okay?" 

"Okay, but we're going to see Josh," insisted Jed as he pushed back the covers. Abbey helped him into his robe and slippers while Ron went to find a wheelchair. Abbey gave in to Jed's complaining about the oxygen after she let him sit for a few minutes without the nasal oxygen and he managed to stay at 96-97 on room air. 

Josh was sleeping when they got to his room. Abbey pushed Jed in and let him sit with Josh for a while by himself. She strolled the hallway for a few minutes. She saw Leo come off the elevator and head towards her. 

"You should have woken me up, I would have come over with you," said Leo as he took off his coat. 

"You needed your rest too. Jed's in there with Josh if you want to go in. He's sleeping but you can sit in there for a while if you want." Leo went to join Josh while Abbey went to use the phone to touch base with Lilli. 

Josh didn't wake up, so, after a while Leo pushed Jed back to his room to rest. Against his wishes, Abbey put the oxygen back on after she tucked him back in. She pulled up a chair next to the bed and Leo did the same. 

"So you two, how far did you get in the story?" asked Jed with that old familiar twinkle in his eye. 

"Uh, I think Abbey was still telling me about the wedding night, right Abs?" teased Leo. 

"Yeah, I think that's where I left off," said Abbey. 

"Ah... did she tell you she's had dreams about the Newseum shooting since before we even met?" Jed asked with a sigh. "And that I kind of just brushed them off?" 

"Hey, pumpkin, you can't worry about every little thing," Abbey murmured, kissing him on the cheek. "Especially when you've got one of the greatest economic minds in the world," she teased with a wink. "And besides, I stopped having them for the longest time, remember? I only started up again a week or so ago..." She closed her eyes against the flood of images that were now deja vu-ish to her subconscious mind. "You can't worry about everything." 

"Yeah," he finally replied. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manchester, New Hampshire  
Christmas, 1967 

Abbey sighed as she showered in the ice-cold basement of the Bartlet farmhouse. There was no shower stall, only a showerhead, and a couple of hanging sheets that served as shower curtains. And the water was cold, too, as it was pumped directly from the well. How Jed had put up with it all of his childhood was beyond her! All she was craving about now was some warm water... 

Someone opened the curtains, and she nearly screamed, until she realized it was Jed. "Don't DO that!" she giggled in relief, hugging him. "Jed, I just have one question," said Abbey, clinging to him in a desperate search for warmth. 

"What's that sweetie?" 

"If your family is so damn famous around here, how come you don't have any hot water? This is crazy -- how did you put up with this while you were growing up?" she said, her teeth chattering as she reached for the towel that she had hung up on the nail. 

"We put up with it because it was all we knew, you know -- you can't miss what you never had," said Jed as he turned off the shower and wrapped his own towel around his waist. "Let's go in the bedroom. I know a sure way to warm up," he laughed. 

After a totally uncomfortable breakfast with the whole Bartlet clan -- Katherine, Thomas and Jed's siblings, John, Jeffrey and Janice -- Abbey was ready for a break. She was sitting next to Jed in his mother's car waiting, not so patiently, for it to warm up so they could go for a drive. 

"Where do you want to go, over to see your family?" Jed said, teasing her. 

"Good God, no! We'll see them for dinner soon enough. I want to go to the cemetary to visit my father's grave. Is that okay with you?" Abbey asked, nervously chewing on her thumbnail. 

"Honey, it's fine, whatever you want to do. As far as our families are concerned, let's be glad they live near each other, we can visit them all at once and get the torture over with quickly," he said, shifting the car into gear. 

The drive over to Mt. Olivette Cemetery was a short one. Jed stopped along the way and picked up some flowers for Abbey to leave there. He let her get out first and go over to the modest stone alone. He sat on the hood of the car watching her, his heart aching for her loss. As much as he complained about his parents, he couldn't even begin to imagine his life without them. After a while, she turned back to him and held out her hand. He walked through the snow and they stood in silence in front of the tombstone. The only sound they heard was the cars creeping along the road behind them and the rush of the wind through the evergreens that surrounded the cemetery. Abbey lay her head on his shoulder and cried silent tears for the father who never got to meet the man of her dreams. The wind picked up and they turned to walk back to the car. 

They drove around a while and stopped for lunch at a small roadside diner. They were expected for dinner at Abbey's mother's house later that day. Neither one of them was looking forward to it. Anne had always acted as a buffer between Abbey and Isabelle, but Anne and David had decided to spend the holidays at home. So Abbey and Jed were having dinner alone with her -- even Marie had managed to sneak away to a friends' house. 

They arrived at the house promptly at 5:00. Abbey opened the door, took a deep breath, grabbed her husband's hand and went to find her mother. 

"Hi, Mom, we're here," Abbey called, licking her lips nervously. 

"I'm in the kitchen, darling," Isabelle replied. "You still like cinnamon soup, yes?" 

"Umm... sure," she answered, bringing Jed into the kitchen. "As long as there's plenty of cream in it." 

"I'll make it the way normal people like it and you can add extra cream to yours," Isabelle said, dumping grated cinnamon into a pot with one hand, and a weird concotion of juices into the pot with the other. "We're having cinnamon soup, spinach salad, and artichokes. I made an apple crisp for dessert, so we're set." 

Jed just cringed. She was going to make him eat green vegetables.... 

"Mom, do you have any meat or anything for Jed? He's not such a veggie person," Abbey said. "And you could have called over ahead of time and found that out." 

"When did I have time?" Isabelle shot back. "I had to press the juice, chop the spinach, cook the artichokes..." Jed was looking positively green himself about then. 

"Mother, you can't just assume that other people will like what we've been eating for years. It doesn't work that way! And I'm sure Marie snuck off to her friend's house just to get a hamburger, since you won't let her have one here!" Abbey slapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." 

Isabelle's eyes had narrowed into a glare. "You will both sit and eat what I have spent all day preparing, and you will be grateful for it. Is that clear?" Her voice was crisp and cold. 

"Yes, ma'am," Abbey mumbled. 

"No, ma'am," Jed piped up. 

Abbey turned her gaze from Jed to her mother in a split second. She saw her mother lifting an artichoke from out of the boiling water and for a moment Isabelle looked as if she were going to toss it at the head of her son-in-law. 

"Jed, I'm just going to pretend like I didn't hear that. Eat what you want, go back to your house hungry. Abigail, would you grab the salad and bring it to the table, please?" 

"Yes, mother," said Abbey as she caught Jed by the arm and looked him in the eye. Her stare told him he had better behave or there would be no recreational activities for him later that night. 

The dinner conversation was obviously strained. Abbey tried to keep things light but wasn't very successful. Jed did manage to choke down some artichokes by downing about a half gallon of water. He also managed some salad by using large quantities of poppyseed dressing. Abbey seemed to take pity on him by picking out extra bacon and egg for him when she served the salad. Anne said very little, preferring instead to glare at Jed. She did manage a few one word answers to Abbey's questions. 

Thankfully, Marie came home in time for dessert. At least now Jed and Abbey had someone to talk to who wasn't looking at them with daggers in their eyes. Normally, Abbey would not have taken the time to ask Marie about how her life was going, but she felt she had to do anything it might take to avoid another confrontation with her mother. 

At 9:00 Jed starting yawning, quite convincingly, although Abbey saw right through it. Isabelle didn't seem to notice. They said their goodbyes and Jed ushered Abbey out the door before anything else happened. 

The ride back to the farm started quietly. Jed wasn't quite sure if Abbey was mad at him or not. After 10 minutes, the silence was killing him and he had to say something. 

"Uh, Abbey, are you really mad, cause if you are I'm sorry, it's just that your mother makes me nuts. Now I know why you decided to live with Anne." He glanced over to Abbey and gave her hand a quick squeeze. 

"No, I'm not. She makes me crazy too. Don't worry about it. But you should warn your mother that nasty things about you and your family will be mentioned at the next Sewing Circle meeting," she said, laughing. 

They arrived at the farmhouse to find it mercifully quiet. Only Jed's sister, Janice, was there. The three of them sat around the kitchen table talking for a bit, while Jed made himself a large ham and cheese sandwich. After a while, Jancie left to read and Jed and Abbey went to the bedroom. 

Hours later, Abbey once again awoke from a dream -- this one was different, there were no hospitals, no crying people, Jed was alive and well. She and Jed were standing side by side. Three young woman stood by them. There was a large crowd around them. Abbey was sure she could pick out Leo and Jenny in the faces of the crowd. The weather was cold, but the sun shone brightly. In her hands, Abbey had a bible. The setting looked like something Abbey had seen before, but she couldn't quite place it. 

She rolled over on her side to face Jed -- he was still snoring next to her. She didn't wake up in her usual state of panic, so nothing had disturbed him. She reached out to caress his cheek and kiss him gently on the lips before once again closing her eyes. 

1969  
South Bend, Indiana 

Abbey was lying on her stomach, studying her advanced physiology notes, when Jed burst in. "Abigail, what would you say if I told you I've been accepted to the London School of Economics for my doctorate program?" he asked. 

"I'd say you're a crazy lunatic," she murmured, never lifting her eyes from her scribbled notes. "And when the neurons in your brain misfire, that's a seizure," she mumbled. Glancing up with a teasing grin, she said, "Jed, I think you're having a seizure." 

"I'm not! I really have been accepted to the London School of Economics!" he laughed, kissing her. "They say with my past performance record, I can breeze through the doctorate program in a little over two years." 

"Jed, I just got accepted into Harvard Medical!" Abbey exclaimed. "I can't just let that pass me by!" 

"Abbey..." 

She stared at him with tears in her eyes. "I can't..." 

"Oxford," he said simply. "We can get you into Oxford for the new semester..." 

"Josiah Bartlet, where are we gonna get money for me to go to Oxford and you to go to the London School of Economics?" she sighed. 

"I'll borrow some money from my parents. We'll be fine, Abbey... Come to England with me?" he murmured, kissing her hand. 

"I... let me think about it." 

Abbey spent the next 2 days contemplating the future. Harvard had always been a dream of hers, just as the London School of Economics had been a dream of Jed's. She was torn between following her own dream and wanting to be with her husband. After many hours of talking with Anne, David, Jenny, Father Doniphan and anyone else who would listen, she made up her mind. 

She asked Jed to meet her at the church where she was going over some music with Mrs. Terry. When he entered the choir room, she was alone. He hesitated in the doorway, praying she would agree to go with him to England. 

"Abbey," he called quietly not wanting to disturb her as she played the piano. 

"Hi, sweetie, have a seat," she said scooting over on the piano bench. "How about I sing a song for you?" 

"Uh, sure, whatever you want," said Jed, trying to hide the anxiousness that was rising within him. 

Hands poised over the keys, Abbey took a deep breath and broke into "God Save the Queen". Jed grabbed her hand, pulled her up and proceeded to kiss her and swing her around the room. It was only when they remembered where they were that their lips parted. 

GWU Hospital 

Thursday afternoon 

"So you actually belted out "God Save the Queen" in the middle of the church choir room?" asked Leo as he stood up to walk around Jed's room. 

"Yeah she did, but nobody seemed to hear," said Jed, suddenly awake. 

"Hi, honey. Have a nice nap? How are you feeling?" asked Abbey as she reached over to smooth back Jed's hair and check his forehead for any sign of fever. 

"Better and hungry. Do you think I could actually get some real food? I can't take anymore Jello and broth," said Jed as he adjusted the head of the bed so he could sit up. 

"I think something can be arranged -- how about some ice cream? I can get one of the agents run down and get you some, okay?" said Abbey, glad to see Jed starting to perk up. 

"I'll go get it," offered Leo as he stood up and stretched away some of the stiffness that sleeping in chairs had brought to his body over the past few days. "Chocolate?" 

"Yeah, thanks." 

Leo walked out the door and left Jed and Abbey alone. Abbey started to pick up Jed's chart to read it, but yet again but he managed to take it from her and drop it on the bedside table. 

"What happened to just being the wife and not being the doctor? I thought Anne talked to you," inquired Jed as he moved over to left his wife sit next to him on the bed. "What's wrong, Abigail? Something about the test results you're not telling me?" 

Abbey sat down next to Jed and took his hands in hers. "No, the blood tests show the antibiotics are working. Your blood pressure and O2 levels are fine and your temperature has stayed down for about 12 hours." She sighed and look around the room. 

"Then what could be wrong? It sounds like I can go home soon, is that what it means?" asked Jed, trying to hide the excitment that just the thought of sleeping in his own bed, next to Abbey, brought on. 

"Yes, Dr, Keller said probably tomorrow, late morning. That's the problem. I know you; you won't take it easy at home. You'll try to go to the office the minute you get there. Here in the hospital, it's easier to keep you calm and resting. You'll try to do too much, too soon. I've known you far to long to think otherwise," sighed Abbey 

"Honey, I promise, I will try to relax and recover more fully before I jump back into my usual routine. I know I have to avoid stress as much as possible -- believe me, I am in no mood for an MS relapse. Besides, you won't have to look after me on your own, I'm sure you will enlist the help of Charlie, Mrs. Landingham and that guy over there with the chocolate ice cream," teased Jed as Leo entered the room. "Why don't you just go home and get some rest yourself? Leo and I have some business to discuss anyway." 

"Okay, I have some work to do. I'll be back for dinner. Don't keep him up too long Leo," said Abbey as she grabbed her coat and kissed both of them goodbye. 

"Abbey, we'll be fine," said Jed in a tone that told Abbey, get out now before he starts to really get annoyed and goes off on some tangent, probably in Latin. She gave a fake smile to both him and Leo before closing the door behind her. 

"I'm finally getting out of here tomorrow. Set up a couple of meetings for..." 

"Mr. President, did you hear nothing your wife said? I am not setting up meetings for tomorrow. I don't care to incur the wrath of Abigail Bartlet. You may be used to it but I am not," Leo said with more than a hint of annoyance in his voice. 

"Okay, I can tell you and Abbey are both going to take this relaxing and recovering stuff seriously, so I guess I should just go along with it, for a few days," sighed Jed, resigning himself to the fact that both his wife and his best friend would be relentless in their efforts to make sure he took care of himself and got the rest he needed. 

Jed ate his ice cream while he and Leo watched CSPAN. 

"Enough of this, help me out of the bed. Let's go see Josh." Jed threw back the covers and reached for his robe. Leo just threw up his hands and didn't even try to talk his best friend out of it. 

"Fine, here's your slippers. I'll go get a chair," said Leo as he headed for the door. 

"No chair, I'll walk. It will kill some extra time. I'm not exactly ready for a marathon but I think I can walk down the hall just fine," growled Jed as he tied his robe and grabbed the IV pole from next to the bed. "I can't wait to get rid of this damn leash." 

Leo just held the door opened and let Jed set the pace down the hall. 

"God help Abbey, I don't know how she'll be able to keep you in line when you get home," muttered Leo as they walked along, slowly. 

"Something you'd like to say, Leo?" inquired Jed. 

"No,sir," said Leo, giving Jed his best smile. 

"Good. But let's get serious for a minute. I will listen to Abbey when I get home. It's the least I can do -- look at all she's done for me, given up for me and for my career. I would have never put up with half the stuff she's put up with over the years. Sometimes I wonder why she never gave up," said Jed as they turned the corner. 

"Funny you should ask -- Abbey and I were just talking about that very thing a few nights ago, the night after you were shot. I told her that she stuck by you because she was unlucky enough to fall completely in love with you no matter what happened. That's how she came to tell me the whole story about when the two of you met and got together. A pretty interesting story, if you ask me," teased Leo. 

"Thanks," smiled Jed as he stopped to catch his breath. 

"You okay? Not going to get clumsy and fall or anything are you?" teased Leo. 

"I'm fine. I've outgrown most of my klutziness thank you very much, well, except for when I borrowed your bike," said Jed with a smile as they resumed his trip down the hall. 

"Well, Mr. President, I forgive you for that one. And you know, Abbey isn't the only one to be unlucky enough to... well, you know what I mean," stumbled Leo looking for the right words and trying not to get all emotional in the middle of the hospital corridor. He could feel the impact of the last few days about to come crashing down around him. 

"Yeah Leo, I know what you mean," said Jed as he stopped once more, this time to pat Leo on the shoulder and look him in the eye. "And I feel the same way." 

For a moment the two friends forgot about the agents behind them and tearfully embraced in the hall outside Josh's open door. 

From his bed Josh watched the two of them, in the process getting quite teary-eyed himself. 

"You two better come in here now. I don't want the press to get photos of you crying in the hallway outside my room. People will think I'm dead or something," Josh couldn't help but tease them. After all he had been through over the past few days, he was entitled to tease them just a little. 

Jed and Leo wiped their eyes and went into Josh's room, closing the door behind them. 

The End 


End file.
